Petroleum Workers Resume Sales

Agitating petroleum workers called off their strike and returned to work Tuesday after their employers, the private refilling station owners, agreed to enforce minimum wage and pay them at least Rs 4,600 a month as stipulated by the government in Bagmati zone.

The private refilling stations received supplies and resumed sales immediately after the two sides inked an agreement to this effect.

The workers had halted supply in more than 102 private dealers, sparking fuel shortage in the Kathmandu Valley, where demand for petrol and diesel stands at about 300 KL and 400 KL a day respectively. The halt in distribution at private pumps forced consumers to queue at institutional dealers run by security and other agencies, which were not affected by the strike, to refill their vehicles.

“We returned to work after the dealers agreed to fulfill our demands,” said Gokarna Khadka, president of Nepal Petroleum Workers´ Union.

As per the agreement signed on Tuesday, the dealers will henceforth strictly comply with minimum wage provision. Prior to this, the workers were paid as low as Rs 1,200 a month. The workers will also get a job contract and get accident insurance coverage of Rs 200,000 and health insurance coverage of up to Rs 50,000, among others.

The dealers so far had refused to fulfill demand of minimum wage, but had expressed willingness to fulfill other demands. Nepal Petroleum Dealers´ Association (NPDA), the apex body of private dealers, had mainly argued that not all dealers enjoyed voluminous sales and robust return to hike the wage.

However, the NPDA changed its stance after some of the dealers in the Valley, who are already offering better salary and facilities to their workers, expressed their willingness to resume sales.

Workers, however, said they would continue protest outside the zone to get their demands fulfilled.

Earlier on the day, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) threatened to activate Essential Service Act and compel dealers and workers to resume fuel sales if they did not conclude their talks soon. It had been urging the two sides to resolve their differences immediately so that it did not hurt consumers for long.