Date:26/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/08/26/stories/2006082605190900.htm

Back Oil PSU officers plan strike from Sept 5

Our Bureau

Seek salary package in line with pvt sector cos, MNCs

New Delhi , Aug. 25

Officers from public sector oil companies on Friday continued their demand for an early resolution of pending issues, including a competitive compensation package for executives in line with private and multinational firms in the sector. About 1,000 officers of state-owned oil companies joined the protest starting 0600 hrs at Rajghat here. The officers went on a day-long hunger strike.

"Fast is being observed throughout the country by officials at their respective work places," the Oil Sector Officers' Association (OSOA) Convener, Mr Ashok Singh, said. OSOA is a representative body of executives of all public sector oil firms.

According to OSOA members, "no response from the Government has come." The officers plan to go on an indefinite strike from September 5. OSOA has been stating that the present compensation package of oil sector PSU executives was much below the prevailing salaries in the market place as a result of which there was large-scale exodus of trained and skilled officers to multinationals and the private sector.

It has demanded that the Government implement the memorandum of understanding signed between the association and the Petroleum Ministry at the time of the last pay revision. Due to the non-implementation of the MoU, the PSU officers have not been given annual increment since 2002, the association said.

The Association also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in this regard on August 4.