BPCL employees call off strike, get back to work

Employees of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) have called off their strike.

The PSU oil major on Friday said that the strike by its officers has partially ended with many of them resuming work. It also said that fuel supplies to affected pumps have already started.

The news was confirmed by Oil Secretary R S Pandey, who said that many BPCL officials have returned to work. He also disclosed that Indian Oil services began to improve gradually when officials were told either to join work or face arrest.

The officers at the state-run oil companies are demanding salary hikes.

With the fuel shortage becoming a full blown crisis, the government on Friday told striking oil company officials to either return to work or get arrested.

The strike has entered its third day. At least 70 per cent of the fuel pumps in the country have run dry and the number is steadily increasing.

The Territorial Army is slated to take over refineries and man petrol pumps to overcome the crisis.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Petroleum Minister Milind Deora have both dismissed the demands of striking officers as unreasonable.

However, it's not just petrol pumps which are dry, LPG and CNG are also in short supply, as four key refineries are now running below capacity.

Addressing mediapersons on Friday, Home Minister P Chidambaram asked the striking oil PSU workers to call off the strike and said that the government was willing to hold talks immediately.

He also said that HPCL was functioning normally and BPCL was operating at 70 per cent capacity as of Friday morning.

The Centre has advised state governments to take firm action against striking officers of oil PSUs. The Home Minister also said that firm action was being taken against striking employees.

The crisis management group, under Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar, met on Friday and considered the option of bringing in the Army to move petroleum product cargoes from refineries to petrol pumps but did not take a firm decision on this.

Meanwhile, Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said he has apprised the Prime Minister of the situation. He also appealed the workers to call of the strike.

The option of calling in the army is being considered, as there is no loading or cargo dispatching activity in the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), said its chairman Sarthak Behuria.

"We have exhausted all options and now we have to make officers work," said Behuria.

Meanwhile, speaking about the issue, Petroleum Secretary said the Mathura refinery would be restarted with help of the army.

He further said that petrol stock for 20 days, diesel stock for 14 days and LPG stock for 12 days are available.

"All BPCL retail outlets will open by evening. CNG supplies in Mumbai is likely to be restored by evening as well," said the Petroleum Secretary.

A large number of petrol pumps across the country went dry as the indefinite strike by oil PSU executives entered the third day on Friday, with the possibility of a major fuel supply crisis looming large.

However, some officers have returned to work in BPCL. Aviation refuelling services were near normal and HPCL was functioning as usual.

About two-thirds of the 425 petrol pumps in the National Capital did not open because of lack of stocks while 60 per cent outlets in Mumbai put up 'No Stock' signboards.

Mumbai also ran out of compressed natural gas (CNG), which runs some two lakh buses, taxis and autos, but Delhi had enough CNG and piped natural gas stocks to last seven to 10 days.

While Hindustan Petroleum pumps across the country were operating normally, Bharat Petroleum senior management officials were ensuring that there were dispatches of petrol and diesel to the company's outlets.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora late on Thursday evening visited Noida on the outskirts of the national capital to meet the striking Oil Sector Officers Association (OSOA) leaders but the talks to resolve the imbroglio failed.

The OSOA kept harping on the government acceding to its demand for higher increase in wages than those approved in November but Deora said he did not have the powers to approve anything that would also have ramifications for other PSUs.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appointed a committee of ministers headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram to look into their demands, and it is expected to give its report in less than 30 days.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) chairman R S Sharma failed to convince his officials to resume gas production at the country's largest field in Western Offshore, affecting power generation and fertiliser production.

Crude oil production at Mumbai offshore was almost half at 1,80,000 barrels and four key refineries of IOC operated at 25 to 30 per cent of capacity. (With PTI inputs)


Some comments i found out in some sites:

Posted By thomas-Friday, January 09, 2009
Govt should not accept the demands of the OIL PSU, when they are on strike. Do not even call them for discussions. Let them call off the strike and then may be after a month or so, can call them for discussions. There are plenty of capable ppl who are willing to work with even lesser salary.

NDTV Posted By Soumo C-Friday, January 09, 2009
All talk and no bite....its happened before its hapenning now. After a day or two of hard stance Govt will call a meeting and give whatever the striking officers are demanding. Its a national loss, grief and complete lack of political will to enforce the citizens welfare. Vote chahiye...saab ke demand maan lo aur shanti rakho. Once we win we will settle the scores. Tax payer ka paisa hai - looto. Be it Khandahar or stiking Oil officers or Striking Truckers...the attitude is the same. It Must Change for a better India.

NDTV Posted By v.srinivasan iyer-Friday, January 09, 2009
its the failure of indian goverment to handle the situvation created by them in the past promises to earn a vote, now suffered by people of india who are paying the price for it.the goverment should atleast understand now even fuel is basic need of the country, which is distriubed can create problems.try to solve the issue or resign from that post given by people.

NDTV Posted By Kartik-Friday, January 09, 2009
I would blame the govt for not looking into the matter before it same to such a passe. Same time arrest the officials for putting so many people and establishments into trouble.

NDTV Posted By Arun Visvanathan-Friday, January 09, 2009
While I don''t agree with PSU employees striking in general, unfortunately this seems the only way the Government listens to reason. The best P Chidambaram can offer is that a Group of Ministers will consider their demands and take a decision within one month. This is the same way the Government has dealt with the Armed Forces grievances over the 6th CPC. They first constituted aan anamolies committe which far from redressing the grievances made them worse. They then constituted a Group of Ministers which was to give a decision within 3 weeks but took 10 weeks and then conceded only two of the main grievances. And the PM finally agrees for a separate pay commision for the Armed Forces - which of course will meet ten years from now, if the PMs offer is not rescinded before then. The demand of military pensioners for One Rank One Pension - a demand included in the Party Manifesto before the last election and in the President''s address after the election, has been rejected out of hand because pensioners are no longer of any use to the government. Now the government wants to use the Army to break the strike. I wonder what the government would do if the Armed Forces chose to strike. However, the Government and the people of India sleep safely secure in the knowledge that this would never happen. What action is being taken against the senior bureaucrats of the Petroleum Ministry for having allowed this situation to happen

NDTV Posted By munna-Friday, January 09, 2009
I think the govt should have taken the precautionaary measure. It has become quite regular on part of the govt it wakes only after the matter is highlighted by the media and it becomes rather difficult for the people to bear the problem. It should have bargained hard with the employee and given the ultimatum.But the babus slept on the file and did nothing to stop such type of mess that has occured today.

NDTV Posted By bhupendra-Friday, January 09, 2009
The strike is by officers.Highly paid guys with very good perquisires.As thy are officers,they must be a minimum grduates.If such educated persons are behaving in such fashion,than we should not expect any thing from illerate and poor feliows of my country. All such officilas must be punished and their degree should be taken back. I think all locals should stop supply to all the residentia colony of oil companies.

NDTV Posted By kajal-Friday, January 09, 2009
feels good for a change, hope this helps the trucks to get plea from the government, and hence deisel prices reduced.

NDTV Posted By sheetal-Friday, January 09, 2009
stop all strike.Do not envolve Army \.This is what Terrorist wants and we do the same.All union leaders should work to fight against Terrorism and not against Their own country.The srikers are big TERRORIST for INDIA.Union leaders please stop nonsence and do not misguide the public.

NDTV Posted By Hemant-Friday, January 09, 2009
Termination of striking officers and immediate new recruitments with the help of Army helping initial functioning should be used. This is like keeping the whole nation hostage for pressurizing the acceptance of demand. A situation can lead to life and death of many if the emergency services are affected. Why talk about 26/11 when you have a new terrorist groups operating in the country, under disguise of associations of OIL sectors and Transporters.

NDTV Posted By joseph-Friday, January 09, 2009
We usually resort to the easiest route of blaming the politicians for all follies done by anybody in the country. The oil officers should be taken to task for holding the country to ransom. They are worse than the terrorists and hijackers as even they could not have unleashed so much of pain to the common man. The govt is handling the situation effectively by not giving in to their unreasonable demands. The oil officers even if they want a salary hike should know how to protest without affecting the common man.Shame on them.Is this all their love for our country.They need to take a leaf from the way the armed forces handles a similar pay hike issue.

NDTV Posted By sasimann-Friday, January 09, 2009
The Petroleum PSU employees are a pampered lot now holding the government to ransom.The Government must remove pricing controls on petro products,giving subsidies direct to the poor,and let the PSUs face competition from the private companies.But the politicians,bureaucrats and employees view the Oil companies as milch cows for their own ends,making the consumers suffer!