Oil PSUs plan interim package to prevent strike

 Updated at 1100 hrs: The public sector oil companies are readying contigency measures to oppose the general strike call made by 45,000 strong supervisory staff of these firms. The Oil Sector Officers' Association (OSOA), that comprises of officials from the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and other state-run energy companies, is to begin a strike tomorrow to press for a doubling of wages.

"We have prepared contigency plans. The operations will not suffer", Sarthak Behuria, chairman, IOC, informed Business Standard.

The junior managers and supervisors comprise a third of the total workforce of state-run oil companies.

According to an press release issued some time back, OSOA had stated that "the association is agitated on inordinate delay and resolution of the various pending issues such as periodicity of salary revision, 50 per cent merger of DA with the Basic Pay as on January 1, 2005 and release of adhoc payment towards salary revision".

OSOA was to go on strike from September 5 last year, but the agitation was called off following an assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to look into their demands.

OSOA had organised gate meetings from August 6, waged black badge protests while at work from August 13, and threated to go on indefinite strike starts from August 21 onwards if demands are not met.