The officers of public sector oil companies on Tuesday called off their strike as Minister for Petroleum Murli Deora assured them that the government was looking into their demand for pay revision.
Nearly 45,000 officers in state oil firms including Indian Oil Corporation, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation, had begun their indefinite strike early Tuesday morning in support of their demand for the merger of 50 per cent Dearness Allowance (DA) with basic pay, release of ad-hoc payment and withdrawal of tax on perquisites like company-provided accommodation. The strike was called off after a delegation of Oil Sector Officers Association (OSOA), which spearheaded the strike, held a meeting with Deora.
During the meeting Deora impressed upon the OSOA delegation that the Pay Revision Committee set up by the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises was already looking into the issues concerning pay revision in the Central PSUs. Later talking to newspersons the OSOA coordinator R P Srivastava said the Petroleum had agreed on higher interim relief for the period from January One this year, when wage revision was due. The strike had threatened to disrupt supply of auto fuel, domestic cooking gas supplies and aviation fuel, refinery operations and oil and gas production.
The Petroleum Ministry had declared the strike illegal as various High Courts had refrained the officers from taking such an action. Besides being liable of contempt of court, the officers could have faced severe disciplinary action.
Welcoming the decision of the oil officers to call off the strike, Deora said that the step is in right direction as a strike in the petroleum sector causes avoidable hardship and inconvenience to the people.