People's Democracy

 Strike Action If Privatisation Is Attempted

Oil Sector Workers Warn Govt

THE all India joint convention of oil-sector workers, held at New Delhi on September 28, has decided to resort to immediate countrywide strike action in all the oil PSUs in case the Vajpayee government takes any step to repeal the Nationalisation Act in respect of HPCL and BPCL, either through legislation or through Ordinance, in order to facilitate the privatisation of those two oil PSUs.

The convention was held under the banner of ‘National United Forum Against Privatisation of Oil PSUs’ comprising trade unions of almost all affiliations functioning in all the oil PSUs like IOC, ONGC, HPCL, BPCL, Oil India, Numaligarh Refineries Ltd., Kochi Refineries Ltd., Bongaigaon Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd., etc. Around 200 leading trade union functionaries from all over the country representing all the oil sector PSUs attended this convention.

The convention was conducted by a presidium consisting of G L  Dhar(AITUC), Swadesh Dev Roye (CITU), Ramdas Khose (INTUC), Raja Rahut (HK Kamgar Sena), Shankar Khiani (Maharashtra Sen Kamgar Union), C S Dalvi (All India Petroleum Workers’ Union, Mumbai), Mahesh Rane (BPC Refinery Employees Union, Mumbai) and Biren Kalita (NEROWCC, Assam).

The convention was addressed M K Pandhe, general secretary, CITU, Gurudas Dasgupta, general secretary, AITUC and Swapan Mukherjee, general secretary AICCTU.

The convention noted that it will be sheer self-deception to believe that the axe of privatisation shall not fall on ONGC, IOC and GAIL and therefore, the entire oil sector unions must go for concerted resistance struggle against any move of privatisation of any oil PSUs.

The convention, while talking note of the Supreme Court judgement restraining the government from HPCL-BPCL sell-off without prior approval of Parliament, stressed upon the urgent need to push forward the on going united struggles till the suicidal policy of privatisation of oil PSUs is completely reversed.  The convention unanimously adopted the following programmes:

•     On November 18, an all-India Protest Day will be observed by all oil PSU workers by wearing black badges and observing fast or boycotting canteen and holding demonstrations during lunch recess on that day.

•     A massive signature campaign drive will be undertaken to collect few crores of signatures throughout the month of October and November to be submitted to the Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha during the next session of Parliament. Further, regional level anti-privatisation campaign through all various means including regional conventions, publishing posters, leaflets etc will be conducted.

•    The next convention of the trade unions functioning in all the oil PSUs will be held in Guwahati in coming November where further course of action including strike will be chalked out.