Oil sector officers strike called off

The oil sector strike, which had disrupted fuel supplies across the country for almost three days, was called off on Friday.

The strike was called off after the central government threatened to crack down on the agitating officers with arrests and dismissals.

Executives of individual oil and gas companies called off the strike one after the other as the government talked tough and ruled out conceding any of their demands for higher wages while they held the country to ransom.

Expressing relief over the end to the strike, Petroleum minister Murli Deora said the officers' demands would be considered by the group of ministers constituted to go into
it, but refused to give any assurance on taking back those who have been dismissed.

"It's not possible for me to comment on this," he said when asked whether the dismissed officers would be taken back in view of the calling off of the strike.
    
Nearly 70 officers belonging from ONGC and IOC have been dismissed in the last two days for not reporting to work. Now that the strike is withdrawn, this will teach a
lesson to others who will now be dissuaded from launching such actions, Deora said.