New Delhi: Banking operations were paralysed as public-sector bank officers went on a one-day token strike on May 2 to press for, among other things, wage hike and the major unions threatened to have yet another stir on May 21 to protest against harsh labour and banking laws.

Apart from bank unions, the proposed nationwide strike on May 21 is likely to be participated by central trade unions and Public Sector Union (PSU) employees unions, All India Bank Officers Confederation vice president (Delhi), J D Sharma, said on the sidelines of a demonstration.

"The proposed strike later this month will be in protest against amendments in labour laws, Bank Nationalisation Act and Banking Regulation Act," he said. If government does not heed the demands of the unions, the unions have threatened to go on an indefinite strike.

Today's (May 2) strike caused over Rs 100 crore loss in terms of productive business, Sharma said.

"Over 2.5 lakh officers of 26 PSU banks observed the token strike today," S K Rathore, deputy general secretary of National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO), said.

Except Bank of Baroda, private and foreign banks, employees of all other PSU banks including State Bank of India (SBI), observed the strike called by NOBO, along with All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA) and All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) representing over 90 per cent of officers in banking industry, he said.

Bank officers all over the country held demonstrations and protested against delay in wage revisions, exclusion of a second option for pension scheme to existing employees and tax on perks.

PTI