The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not declared any official bank holiday on Thursday, February 12, 2026, amid the nationwide **Bharat Bandh** supported by 10 central trade unions (comprising CITU, AITUC, INTUC) and farmer groups like Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). The strike is in protest against the new labor codes (replacing 29 laws that are alleged to weaken job security, bargaining and strike rights), the India-US interim trade deal (which is feared to harm farming/dairy farming), and policies such as the VB-G RAM G Act 2025 (replacing MGNREGA) and the SHANTI Act.

Major banking unions—AIBEA, AIBOA, and BEFI—have joined in, giving notices of a nationwide bank strike over various demands.

**SBI Statement** (BSE Filing): The bank has accepted IBA’s advisory on strike notices received from AIBEA, BEFI and AIBOA. SBI said it has made arrangements for normal functioning, but “there may be some impact on work in the bank.” Customers are advised to use digital channels (mobile/internet banking, UPI, ATM) for routine transactions as there may be delays in branch-level services like check clearance, deposits and withdrawals.

**Statement from Bank of Baroda** (Regulatory Filing): BoB has confirmed that it has received a strike notice from AIBEA, AIBOA and BEFI for February 12. The bank is taking steps to operate without any disruption, but “if a strike occurs, branch and office functioning may be affected.” Similar warnings also apply to other PSBs like PNB.

**Overall impact**: Branches will remain open (no RBI holiday), but there may be some disruption in public sector banks—especially counter service—in areas where union participation is high. Private banks have been less affected. Digital banking and ATM will work normally. The impact will vary from state to state (more in Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal).

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), which represents 105 million members in 133 countries, showed solidarity, terming the labor codes as anti-worker and supporting demands for their abolition with the ‘Manpower Policy, 2025’. It described the strike as a strong message and warned that if it was ignored, more stringent action would be taken.

Plan ahead for banking needs—use apps/ATMs to avoid hassles.