Partial response to strike as 94% of services operated

Thiruvananthapuram: The strike called by the BMS evoked a partial response as the KSRTC operated 94.5% (4092 services) of its buses on Monday. The KSRTC management claimed that a majority of the long-distance and city services were operated despite the strike.
The KSRTC management informed that the maximum number of people depended on its services on Monday and the strike did not affect the operations. The KSRTC could operate maximum services in all zones across the state and no considerable revenue loss has occurred due to the strike, said the management.
The strike called by the BMS started on Sunday at midnight and will conclude on Monday at midnight. However, the management had anticipated a hit in the services for three days following the strike.
In the wake of the strike, the KSRTC management declared 'dies non' for three days from Sunday. Even though there were demands to withdraw the strike in the wake of the boat tragedy that occurred in Malappuram, BMS went ahead with the strike.
Meanwhile, a joint action council of the CITU and INTUC have threatened to go on strike if the salaries are not cleared before Tuesday.
The KSRTC gave the first instalment of the salary on May 5. The unions have been demanding the full salary before the 5th of every month, which the management is not ready to accept owing to financial difficulties.