Mumbai: Banks employees across the country except those belonging to the State Bank of India and the Reserve Bank will strike work on 20 August.
 
The strike has been called by a section of employees of public sector banks, barring SBI, and Reserve Bank to protest the move to merge state-run banks and outsourcing in banking industry.

Besides All-India Bank Employees' Association, a Left-affiliated union which has given the strike call, an officers association in the banking industry and an employee association of RBI would go on strike, AIBEA general secretary C H Venkatchalam said.

Apart from about five lakh employees and officers belonging to public sector banks, employees of regional rural and cooperative banks would also take part in the strike.

The strike call came even as SBI chairman O P Bhatt claimed that employees were in favour of the merger.

''There are some people who for some reason have called for a strike," Bhatt said, adding that employees of SBI and associate banks are ''very happy that this (merger) is happening," he said.

He also expected no hindrance to the merger. ''This is not something which has happened overnight," he said.