The Hindu : Front Page : Oil firms' officers drop strike plan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 05, 2006

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Oil firms' officers drop strike plan

New Delhi: Officers of state-owned oil firms on Monday night called off their proposed indefinite strike from Tuesday as they found the Government's offer on higher wages "reasonable" and considered Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal not to resort to agitation.

The decision to drop the strike plan came at a two-hour meeting of the Oil Sector Officers' Association (OSOA) that ended well past midnight.

"We evaluated the [Petroleum] Ministry's offer and found them reasonably good and have decided to call off the strike," OSOA convener Ashok Singh told PTI.

Employees' demands

The employees were 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.

They also demanded an entry-level salary of Rs. 50,000 a month (from Rs. 20,000 a month) for management trainees and commensurate rise in emoluments at senior levels.

"Whatever action was possible at the level of oil PSUs relating to additional performance-related payment within the guidelines of Department of Public Enterprises has already been taken," Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said in a statement.

"Other demands such as 50 per cent DA merger and pay revision every five years were referred to the Department of Public Enterprises, which was examining them in the larger context of all public sector enterprises," he said. — PTI

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