The Hindu : National : Officers of PSU oil companies defer strike

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Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008
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Officers of PSU oil companies defer strike

Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI: Following a meeting with Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora, Heavy Industries Minister Santosh Mohan Deb, and Minister of State for Power and Commerce Jairam Ramesh, thousands of executives of public sector oil companies have deferred their proposed indefinite strike from Tuesday till December 2.

Ministers’ assurance

Oil Sector Officers Association president Amit Kumar said that following an assurance by the three Ministers on their demands, it was decided to defer the strike. “They have assured us that the matter will be put up before the Union Cabinet on November 20 to take up the proposal for higher wages for PSU staff,” he said.

The association had earlier in the day announced that 50,000 officers in 14 PSUs would strike work from Tuesday protesting against non-revision of wages that was due from January 2007.

A committee of secretaries had approved higher wages for employees of all public sector units as per the recommendations of the Justice Rao Committee and the proposal is now with the Cabinet.

There were divisions within the association, with officers of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited deciding to stay away from the proposed agitation.

Executives of Oil India Limited and Engineers India Limited too were unlikely to join the strike.

Mr. Deora and Mr. Ramesh had appealed to the officers to keep the wider national interest in mind and desist from going on a strike as it would cripple the economy by impacting oil and gas output and fuel supplies.

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