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Wednesday, Jan 07, 2009
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Oil sector officers’ indefinite strike from today

Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI: With public sector oil officers rejecting the appeal not to go on strike from 6 a.m. on Wednesday, the government has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the disruption in supply of petroleum products, including LPG, and warned of the strictest possible action against those abstaining from work.

The Oil Sector Officers Association (OSOA), which claims a following of around 45,000 executives, on Tuesday refused to heed the government’s offer of talks on its wage demands. “We are only being offered verbal assurances and there is nothing concrete,” OSOA president Amit Kumar said.

Mr. Kumar on Monday met senior BJP leader L.K. Advani on the issue. Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on Tuesday spoke to Home Minister P. Chidambaram and the Chief Ministers of Assam and Maharashtra, urging them to take steps to protect oil installations. The Centre has put the Territorial Army on alert to take up operations at various oil sector installations.

Officers of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) are not participating in the strike, while those of Oil India Ltd have also indicated that they may not join the agitation.

Petroleum Secretary R.S. Pandey held a high-level meeting of the heads of oil marketing companies (OMCs) to take stock of the situation. He said Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) assured him that normal operations would be maintained at their facilities.

However, Mr. Pandey said, operations in three major refineries could be affected and private refineries, including Reliance and Essar, had offered to supply petroleum products to the government in case of any emergency. He said a strike in the oil sector at this crucial juncture could cripple the economy and cause severe hardship to people. “We are not vindictive against our own officers. All we want is that the economy be not impacted and citizens are spared any hardship,” he added.

The Centre has already asked the States to invoke the Essential Supplies Maintenance Act (ESMA) to ensure that auto and cooking fuel supplies are not choked. The National Security Act (NSA) would be invoked in States that did not have ESMA.

The OMCs have initiated contempt proceedings in High Courts against the OSOA office-bearers. The courts had barred the body from striking till the next date of hearing in February.

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