Petrol pump, tank-lorry owners, workers threaten indefinite strike from Oct 30

Owners and workers of petrol pumps, oil tanks and lorries have threatened to go on indefinite strike from Oct 30 if their 12-point charter of demands are not met by that time.

The demands include a hike in sales commission and a rollback of the rise in lease charges.

Md Nazmul Hoque, convener of Bangladesh Petrol Pump and Tank-Lorry Owners-Workers Unity Council, has urged the government to meet their demands within the next 10 days.

At a press conference on Wednesday, he said: "We call upon the government to fulfill its promises and meet our demands within the next 10 days. Otherwise all the petrol pumps across the country would go for indefinite strike from 6am on Oct 30."

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The leader alleged that the State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has not come up with a solution to their issues despite repeated petitions.

The previous strikes , he said, did not produce any results.

Nazmul also alleged that the state minister had disappointed them severely.

"The strike would cause inconvenience to public but it has been called to press for our demands," he added.

The leaders said that the petrol pumps had been set up on lands taken on lease from Roads and Highways Department.

Therefore frequent hikes in lease chares was "absurd," Nazmul argued and called on the government to reverse them.

Member Secretary of the council Akter Hossain, Bangladesh Tank Lorry Workers Federation President Md Shahjahan, Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association Secretary General Mizanur Rahman Ratan were present at the conference.

A total 5,600 petrol pumps of the country refrained from selling fuel while tankers and lorries stopped transporting or supplying fuel during the council's previous strike on Aug 28.

The strike was called at a press conference held on Aug 20 where the leaders claimed that the authorities had previously promised to fulfil their demands within three months but nothing was done in the following six years.

They also claimed that the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources had remained silent despite issuing three letters.

Although the cost for operating a fuel station has gone up sharply in past few years, owners of petrol pumps are still getting commission as per rates settled in 2011,  the protesting leaders said.