New Delhi: Unrelenting public sector bank unions (PSU), seeking early wage revision, went on a daylong strike today (Aug 24, 2004) crippling financial operations across the country and threatened to intensify the agitation including two-day strike if their demands were not met.

As many as nine major bank unions, which have been asking for over 15 per cent hike in salaries against Indian Bank Association's (IBA) offer of 9.5 per cent, claimed that the banking operations to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore was hit.

"The unions AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBEA, INBOC, NOBW and NOBO will meet tomorrow (Aug 25, 2004) in Mumbai to decide on the next course of action. If required, we may even go for two-day strike next month," AIBOC president (Delhi State) T N Goel told sources.

Addressing a gathering, General Secretary of CPI (Communist Party of India)-backed AITUC, Gurudas Dasgupta said trade unions support the strike and would take up the issue with the Government through their parents.

Across the country, public sector bank employees joined the strike even as those in the rural banks, private sector and foreign banks kept away from the strike.

However, there were no reports of sabotage of ATMs of the PSU Banks.

Though Reserve Bank employees did not take part in the strike, they held demonstrations to express solidarity.