RRB Employees Stage Nationwide Strike Against IPO, Privatisation Moves and Policy Neglect

Massive turnout was witnessed across multiple districts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Demonstrations led by AIRRBEA-affiliated unions featured meetings, protest marches, and public addresses by senior leaders.

AIRRBEA Secretary General S. Venkateshwar Reddy and B. Ravikanth, President of the Andhra Pradesh Telangana Regional Rural Bank Employees Association (APTRRBEA), joined the Hyderabad protest alongside LIC unions, standing in solidarity with hundreds of participants.

Image: AIRRBEA leaders along with fraternal unions of LIC during the nationwide strike in Hyderabad

Women employees took the lead in Siddipet and Kurnool, holding placards and raising slogans. Their active participation underscored the sector-wide impact of privatisation and job insecurity across all employee levels.

Image: Andhra Pradesh Grameena Bank employees on strike in Andhra Pradesh participating in General Strike.

Image: Employees of Telangana Grameena Bank on strike

Image: Telangana Grameena Bank employees on strike at the TGB head office in Hyderabad

Telangana Grameena Bank employees participated in the strike in large numbers, reflecting both their deep frustration and their collective resolve to seek resolution.

States Join In: Unified Protest Across India

Employees and officers of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank, Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank, Bihar Gramin Bank, Karnataka Gramin Bank, West Bengal Gramin Bank, Rajasthan Gramin Bank and Manipur Rural Bank were also seen holding protests at regional offices and branch locations.

Manipur Rural Bank employees stand united in solidarity, holding their strike banner high outside the Imphal branch as they join the nationwide banking strike on July 9th, 2025. All 27 branches being shut in a small northeastern state displayed a message of urgent resolution against pending demands, representing the voice of rural bankers across the nation.

Image: Bankers of Manipur Rural Bank protesting in front of Imphal branch

Image: Employees of Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank and Bihar Gramin Bank during the General strike

In Assam, large employee gatherings condemned the privatisation agenda. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh reported strong demonstrations outside regional offices, where employees submitted memorandums to UPGB Chairman. National Federation of RRB Officers (NFRRBO) President, Chain Singh Rawat, told Kanal, “Employees of RRBs across the country have actively participated in today’s Bharat Bandh in support of their demands.” He informed that in all districts of Uttar Pradesh, protest demonstrations were held outside the regional offices of Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank, where striking bank employees submitted memorandums of their demands to the Chairman of the bank.

Image: NFRRBO President Chain Singh Rawat along with AIRRBEA members submitting the memorandum to UPGB Chairman  

Bihar Gramin Bank staff and officers, under AIGBEA and AIGBOA banners, held a day‑long dharna on July 9 across all 26 regional offices—including Darbhanga, Hajipur, and Muzaffarpur—led in Darbhanga by Pradeep Kumar Mishra, with Neeraj Kumar Chaudhary, Praveen Kumar, Brahmanand, Veerbahadur Singh, and Bhola Paswan among the participants.

In West Bengal, even heavy rains didn’t deter protesters who gathered outside the Nadia regional office with umbrellas and determination. SImilar scenario of resistance was displayed by employees of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank

Image: Employees of West Bengal Gramin Bank and Assam Gramin Vikash Bank during protest

In Karnataka and Rajasthan, protests were held under the joint leadership of officers’ and employees’ associations with hundreds of bankers hitting the streets across several districts.

Image: Employees of Karnataka Grameena Bank and Rajasthan Gramin Bank during the General strike

Unions Reaffirm Their Stand

The federations reiterated that they will continue to oppose the IPO push and called on the Finance Ministry and NABARD to immediately withdraw the proposal and initiate meaningful dialogue. “The government must understand that rural banking cannot be governed by urban profit logic,” said one union leader during the protest.

Key Issues Raised by Striking Staff

The striking employees raised strong objections to the proposed IPO of RRBs, warning that the move would commercialise banks meant for rural development. They argued that the IPO plan would erode the social mandate of RRBs and open the door to private control, undermining their original purpose.

In addition to opposing privatisation, the unions also protested rising contractualisation, delayed recruitments, increasing cost of living, and what they called a systematic attack on trade union rights through amendments to the Labour Code and the Trade Union Act.

With participation from every region, the July 9 strike marked a significant escalation in employee resistance to privatisation plans. Unions warned that without serious dialogue and withdrawal of the IPO proposal, RRBs would continue to see intensified agitation to preserve their rural service mission.