It seems that the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will find it hard to normalise the distribution of LPG in the state with the contract workers at the Udayamperoor plant planning to go on strike from Friday and the members of the LPG Motor Workers’ Congress (INTUC) at the IOC plant at Paripilly in Kollam deciding to go on strike from Saturday.
On Monday, the contract workers conducted a token strike at the Udayamperoor plant demanding a salary hike. Members from both the CITU and the AITUC unions stayed away from work.
According to sources, there are about 100 contract labourers in the plant and they have been given a remuneration of `265 per shift. “Continuous strikes will affect the functioning of
the plant as the striking labourers have been doing works related to handling cylinders,” the IOC officials said.
The sources also said that the token strike on Monday seriously affected the cylinder distribution. “On a normal day more than 150 trucks are being used to distribute cylinders from the plant, but on Monday only 100 trucks were on duty. The situation will turn grave as two strikes in two different plants of IOC are scheduled to be held during this week,” the officials said.
The truck workers at Paripilly plant alleged that the contractors are not ready to give them a salary hike. IOC officials at Paripilly also agreed that the contractors of the trucks are yet to give a salary hike to the drivers in the new financial year.
A meeting has been scheduled between the Contract Workers’ Association of IOC Udayamperoor plant and the officials of IOC, on Tuesday. The union members have warned that if the meeting fails, they will launch an indefinite strike at the plant from Friday.
Another meeting of the LPG motor workers congress (INTUC) and truck contractors at the Paripilly plant will be held in the presence of the Labour Commissioner in Thriruvananthapuram, on Tuesday.