Tit-for-Tat! Oil Companies Warn of Strict Action- Petrol Dealers Call Off Strike
Mangaluru: Tit-for-Tat! In response to the call given by The United Petroleum Front, an umbrella organisation for the Federation of All-India Petroleum Traders, the All-India Petroleum Dealers Association and the Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers, who threatened indefinite stoppage of purchase and sale operations from 27 October, and also plans to observe Petrol Pump strike on Friday, 13 October, the Oil Companies issued a strict warning that if the petrol dealers go on a strike, their licence/contracts will be cancelled, and also they would be facing other severe consequences. So with fear, various associations of petrol pump dealers had called the 24-hour strike against new marketing discipline guidelines imposed by oil companies.
Two days ago, the DK and Udupi Petrol Dealers under the banner of DK and Udupi District Petroleum Dealers Association (DKUPDA) had held a press meet at Mangalore Press Club (Ref: https://www.mangalorean.com/dkupda-to-observe-bundh-on-13-oct-to-implement-gst-on-petro-products/) stating that they would be strictly observing a Petrol Pump Strike on 13 October, no matter what! But after a strict warning from the Oil Companies, various associations of petrol pump dealers in India, including DKUPDA had decided to call off the 24-hour strike against new marketing discipline guidelines which impose stringent penalties for short-selling, operating automated pumps in manual mode without authorization, non – provision of clean toilet and not paying minimum wages to employees.
When Team Mangalorean contacted Satish Kamath-the President of DKUPDA, he said, “When we the Petroleum Dealers all over India had contacted Dharmendra Debendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas he had requested us to wait until Diwali concludes after that we could come to a conclusion and settle the issue. Therefore taking his assurance we the Petrol Dealers decided to withdraw our 13 October strike, until further notice after the end of Deepavali. Even the director marketing of the three oil companies had appealed to us not to go on strike and so we are withdrawing the strike on their appeal”.
While the oil companies did appeal for calling off the petrol pump strike, they also warned petrol pump operators of strict action, including facing the prospect of cancellation of dealership contract. Sources reveal that Sanjiv Singh, Chairman of Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, the country’s largest fuel retailer, had on Tuesday said that the call for the petrol pump strike was totally unjustified as the oil companies have accepted all demands and raised dealers’ commission only a few weeks ago. “It is unacceptable that they get minimum wages from oil companies and not give them to their employees,” he said.
The dealers commission fixed recently factors in the prevailing minimum wages. The dealers are demanding revision in their margin every six months and bringing fuels under GST. “We have agreed on a yearly revision and to now demand a half-year revision is a bit unfair,” Singh said, adding that it is well known that petrol and diesel along with natural gas, aviation turbine fuel and crude oil will be out of good and services tax (GST). Singh said law provides for taking over the petrol pumps. “The state government can invoke ESMA, they can take over pumps and give to oil companies for operating…we can takeover petrol pumps. There are all such actions possible if they didn’t listen to reasoning and went ahead with the strike,” he added.
Anyways good news for motorists- you don’t have to wait in long queues to fill up your tanks by midnight today because the Petrol Pumps will be open as usual on tomorrow, Friday the 13th?
Also Read Related Article:
DKUPDA to Observe Bundh on 13 Oct to Implement GST on Petro Products
