New Delhi: The statewide bank strike scheduled for February 23-24 has been postponed by the joint forum of key trade unions until March 28-29, ensuring that banking operations across the country remain unaffected.

Last month, the strike was postponed due to the third wave of COVID-19 and state assembly elections. In November 2021, a joint forum of central trade unions announced a two-day strike against government policy.

"An online meeting of the joint platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and Sectoral Federations/Associations decided to defer the two-day nationwide strike to March 28-29," the trade unions announced in a joint statement released in January.

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During this time, Parliament will be in session for the second phase of the Budget Session. The first phase of the budget session began on January 31 with President Ram Nath Kovind's address to both Houses of Parliament, and it ended on February 11. After a one-month hiatus, the second phase of the budget session will commence on March 14.

The statement went on to say that preparations for the strike had begun in many states and sectors. It urged workers and their unions to make the strike a huge success and "save the nation from the destructive, anti-national policy regime," regardless of their political allegiance.

The National Convention of Workers announced on November 11, 2021, that a nationwide bank strike would take place on February 23–24, 2021, during Parliament's Budget Session.

The joint trade union forum includes INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC, and Independent Sectoral Federations/Associations.