M A I N   N E W S

Officers of oil companies defer strike by 3 weeks

New Delhi, September 4
Officers of state-owned oil firms tonight suspended for three weeks, their plan to launch an indefinite strike from Tuesday claiming that a categorical assurance was given by the government to consider their demands relating to higher wages.

"We have been given categorical assurance by the (Petroleum) Ministry that the issues would be resolved within three weeks and hence the decision to defer the strike," Oil Sector Officers' Association (OSOA) Convener Ashok Singh told PTI.

He said the OSOA found the government's offer "reasonably good" and they also considered Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal not to resort to agitation and his in principle approval to setting up of a wage revision committee.

The decision to drop the strike plan came at a two hour meeting of the OSOA that ended well past midnight.

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 are also seeking an entry level salary of Rs 50,000 per month (from Rs 20,000 per 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 late tonight.

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

The minister said he had asked the oil PSUs to be liberal with the demands of the officers and do whatever they could within the permissible limits.

Deora also said that he had offered the officers to take up the issue with the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), under whose jurisdiction the issues fall.

"We are ready to rationalise with the new pay panel on their demands," he said.

On invoking the Essential Commodities Act, Deora said that the Petroleum ministry would not like to take any precipitate action against the employees. "We would like them to see reason and call off the strike," he said.

The minister said that the ministry is open to the employees for further talks on the issues and also rationalise with the new pay panel on their demands. — PTI