BPCL workers to go on strike on November 28

NEW DELHI: Thousands of workers of Bharat Petroleum will go on strike on November 28 to protest the government’s decision to privatise the company, workers union leaders said. The strike, however, will not affect production or availability of fuel, according to the state-owned oil refining and marketing company.

The move to sell the government’s entire majority stake in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has stoked fears that a change of ownership could lead to job losses and a sharply different working climate unsuitable for many current employees, prompting protests from company workers and executives.

“We need to strongly protest as privatisation is not in our interest,” said Praveen Kumar P, general secretary of Cochin Refineries Employees Association, an affiliate of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). “It’s going to be a daylong strike on November 28. But if the government refuses to withdraw its decision on privatisation, we would be forced to undertake longer strikes, which can spread to several days.”


He said all workers unions in BPCL are together in this cause and the proposed strike will hurt production at two refineries. Contract workers, too, will participate in it, he said.

BPCL expects no impact on production or fuel availability. "The refineries and marketing locations would be running normal and all arrangements have been made so that there is no impact in refinery production and distribution of petroleum products to retail outlets, plants, installations and filling stations and to customers," the company said in an emailed response to ET's query.

BPCL has more than a dozen workers unions operating at its two refineries in Kochi and Mumbai and its marketing division. The company has about 12,500 permanent employees, almost equally split between executives and workers. Contract workers run into tens of thousands, according to union leaders.

The company’s executives, too, are upset at the proposed privatisation but have decided against going on strike. Instead, they have decided to wear black badges to work every Monday and also skip company-provided lunch and dinner on November 27, Anil Medhe of Bharat Petroleum Officers Association said.

Multiple workers unions and officers associations have raised concern that privatisation will totally change the character of the company, ending job security for current employees and endanger national energy security.

“Indira Gandhi had nationalised BPCL for energy security. And now it is being reversed,” Praveen of Cochin Refineries Employees Association said. “The supply security will be compromised.” Labour leaders also highlighted that BPCL, after privatisation, wouldn’t be required to reserve jobs for weaker sections of the society, making such people more vulnerable.