Bangalore: Public sector banking services were hit by the two-day nationwide strike opposing reforms and outsourcing of non-core activities in the sector, as most of the public sector banks were closed responding to a two-day nationwide strike call to protest the government's proposed banking sector reforms.

Thousands of employees and officers of state-run and old generation private banks went on a two-day strike, crippling banking operations across the country in support of their demands.

"The strike call received an overwhelming response as over 50,000 employees and officers abstained from work across the state (Karnataka) in support of our long-pending demands, especially fresh recruitments and promotions," United Forum of Banks Unions (UFBU) Karnataka convener B.S. Ravindra told IANS.

The forum is an umbrella organisation of nine major employees' unions and four officers' unions of state-run banks across the country with a million members.

It decided to go ahead with the strike call as talks with the Union labour commissioner in New Delhi Tuesday on their demands failed.

In Bangalore, about 10,000 employees of various banks held protest demonstration at the State Bank of Mysore in the city centre and shouted slogans against the central government for not meeting their demands. Similar protests were staged in other cities and towns across the state.