The National Forum Against Privatisation of Oil Public Sector Undertakings, which consists of 12 unions of oil company employees across the country, will observe a three-day strike from March 25 demanding withdrawal of the Centre's decision to disinvest in Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

Alleging that the divestment in this sector would harm BPCL subsidiary Kochi Refineries Ltd and destroy the socio-cultural fabric of the nation, the forum spokesperson Eldo K Mathew pointed out it was against the 28th report of the Lok Sabha Standing Committee on Petroleum and Chemicals, which had firmly opposed disinvestment in this sector.

Emphasising that all the social welfare programmes taken up by these two companies would be discontinued once they are privatised, he feared the move would also put an end to employment opportunities of the backward classes.  Besides, more than 26,200 employees currently employed on contract basis are likely to lose their jobs, he said.

Maintaining that the Centre should heed to the suggestions made by legal experts that the disinvestment in the oil sector should be finalised only after a proper legislative framework is put in place, Mathew felt that thoughtless disinvestment in this sector would lead to the pre-1976 incidents wherein the Union government was forced to nationalise these companies, which were then operating in the private sector under the name Burma Shell and Esso and Caltex.

They had then resorted to frequent price hikes and failed to comply with all the government orders and even declined to undertake refining of crude oil brought from the erstwhile Soviet Union, he added.

Meanwhile, the All Kerala Federation of Petroleum Traders will observe a two-day strike in the state on March 31 and April 1 and keep the petrol pumps closed demanding the withdrawal of the value added system, which is scheduled to come into effect from April 1.

The federation has also expressed solidarity with the striking employees of BPCL and HPCL.