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'Supply of petroleum products not affected'

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 26. The strike by the employees of the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) entered the second day today with the Indian Oil Shramik Union joining the striking workers for a day in the Eastern region to protest against the Government's decision to privatise the two oil giants.

However, there was no report of any disruption in the production and supply of petroleum products though there was picketing in the Eastern region.

"The management has been mounting pressure on the workers to resume work but it is a matter of great satisfaction that they withstood the pressure," Swadesh Dev Roye, spokesperson of the National United Forum, spearheading the strike called by 26 trade unions, told The Hindu here today. He said the loss in terms of money because of the strike was huge but the aim in this phase was certainly not to disrupt the supplies.

The Petroleum Ministry spokesperson said that there had been no reports of shortage of fuel or non-delivery from any part of the country. The petrol dumps had been filled to capacity before the strike and could last for one-and-half-day. Since the supplies were made on Tuesday also, there should be no shortage tomorrow, sources added. The supply of LPG cylinders was enough to last for at least four days.The picketing in the Eastern region led to disruption in supply following the IOC workers joining the strike. There was no affect on the bulk supply though loading could not be carried out. But things should further improve by tomorrow as the Kolkata High Court today stayed the strike on a petition filed by the HPCL management, the spokesperson said. In the Southern region, two unions had withdrawn from the stir and resumed duty.

On the last day of the strike tomorrow, the employees unions will organise rallies across the country with the largest in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has expressed solidarity with the striking workers.

Describing the "highhanded measures" taken by the management of the two companies as "highly undemocratic and provocative", an AITUC spokesperson condemned here today the deployment of Territorial Army by the Government.

"AITUC will continue to extend support and solidarity to the petroleum workers and welcomes the decision of the oil unions to hold a meeting in the first week of April to intensify and involve other oil unions which are not part of the present strike so that they unitedly struggle relentlessly and compel the Government to give up their anti-people and anti-national decision to privatise the profit-making oil PSUs," the spokesperson said.

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