PSU oil firms' officers to go on strike today

About 45,000 officers from the major government-owned oil companies will go on an "indefinite strike" from Tuesday to pressure the government to hike salaries across the board.

The government has put in place a contingency plan to ensure smooth running of oil fields and refineries, even as it negotiated unsuccessfully with the Oil Sector's Officers Association (OSOA), which has called for the strike.

It is feared that aircraft refueling facilities would be the first to be hit by the strike. The strike is also likely to impact daily oil sales of Rs 164.5 crore and Rs 17.28 crore of gas sales, though not immediately.

The contingency plan includes usage of ex-employees, who have already been summoned.

Some of the companies, like ONGC and IOC, have got separate high court stay orders on the OSOA strike. BPCL is also seeking a similar injunction from the Bombay High Court.