Oil PSU officials to go on strike

New Delhi: Officers of public sector oil companies today threatened to go on an indefinite strike starting August 29 if the Government did not honour their demand for higher wages.

"We may launch an indefinite strike from August 29 if our demands are not met till then," Oil Sector Officers' Association (OSOA) Convenor Ashok Singh said.

Public sector oil employees are demanding periodic pay revisions every five years; 100 per cent Dearness Allowance neutralisation with effect from January 1, 1996; 50 per cent DA merger; and immediate release of additional stagnation increments.

OSOA is a representative body of executives of 12 public sector oil firms.

The association is also seeking an entry-level salary of Rs 50,000 per month (from Rs 20,000 at present) for management trainees and commensurate rise in emoluments at senior levels.

Singh said that the core group of the OSOA will meet later on Friday where the date of the strike will be finalised.

Earlier on Friday, OSOA members were detained by the police as they marched towards the Prime Minister's Office to submit a memorandum demanding higher wages.

About 100 officers were going from the Press Club to South Block to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when they were detained.

Prohibitory orders are in place in the area as it is a high security zone, police officials said.

"The present compensation package of oil sector executives is much below the prevailing salaries in the market place as a result of which there is large scale exodus of skilled manpower to MNCs and private sector," Singh said.

Last month, the Delhi High Court disposed of a petition by ONGC to restrain OSOA from proceeding on indefinite strike from May 31. The strike was however, postponed.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora too had appealed to the officers of the state-owned oil companies to call off their agitation, as the government was considering all their demands.

If the officers go on strike, the first to be affected would be the aviation sector.

According to estimates, halt on aviation refueling would cost the exchequer around Rs 200 crore per day.

OSOA, which represents one-third of the 1,30,000 strong workforce in PSUs including ONGC, IOC, OIL, BPCL, GAIL and HPCL, had last struck work on January 11, 2000 which had crippled the aviation sector.

Besides, work at the refining facilities and production platform at ONGC will also be affected if the strike takes place.

A strike in the oil sector could mean a loss of Rs 164.5 crore on oil sales of 5.22 lakh barrels a day and Rs 17.28 crore on gas sales of 54 million standard cubic metres a day.

Loss of production for value added products like naphtha, high-speed diesel, kerosene is expected at 9,300 tonnes per day.