| Oilfields, refineries and offices open on weekend |
Dibrugarh, Jan 11: Normal operations resumed at the oilfields, offices and refineries in Assam today after officers of oil companies withdrew their nationwide strike last evening. The government asked the officers to work today and tomorrow, despite the two days being holidays in public sector units, to make up for the loss. Sources said normal operations began in the fields and refineries at 6am. “We decided to withdraw the strike following an appeal from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, home minister P. Chidambaram, petroleum minister Murli Deora and Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Besides, the people were suffering,” Oil India Executive Employees Association secretary Ajoy Borthakur said over phone from the company’s field headquarters in Duliajan. He said the Prime Minister had promised to settle the demands raised by the Oil Sector Officers’ Association within a month. The association has an 11-point charter of demands, including higher salaries, and had called the strike to protest against the government’s failure to implement it. Borthakur said Oil India Limited (OIL) chairman-cum-managing director Nayanmoni Bora, who was camping in Duliajan for the past few days, had discussed the officers’ demands with Gogoi. “We believe that something positive will come out very soon,” he added. The officers of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) also resumed operations this morning. “The officers are working though the company is yet to revoke the suspension of some officers,” said Manoj Bhagawati, the secretary of the Association of Scientific and Technical Officers, Assam Asset. He is one of the six officers suspended by the ONGC in Assam for joining the strike. “Talks are on in Delhi and we hope that the suspension decision will be revoked very soon,” he said over phone from Sivasagar. |