LPG workers’ strike called off in Kerala

KOCHI: The strike by the workers at the LPG bottling plant of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at Udayamperoor ended on Monday following an amicable settlement reached at a meeting called by the Assistant Labour Commissioner.

The talks were attended by IOC officials, representatives of trade unions of workers and the contractor at the plant.

According to the leaders of trade unions, the contractor agreed to give an interim relief of Rs 4000 per month to the labourers for the three month period from February 1 to April 30, the period during which the last contract was extended. “He also agreed to give a bonus and other benefits during the same period. We agreed to it and decided to end the strike,” said a TU leader.

The trade union leader said that the contractor also agreed to assess the average revenue of the contractor during 12 months ending February 1, 2015 and then divide among the labourers his increase in revenue from the earlier average revenue to that in the new contract awarded to him from February 1 to April 31.

“This will be applicable to 61 staff belonging to the housekeeping section and not the loading and unloading workers as their contract period ends only on March 31,” he said.

The leader said that consequent to the end of the strike, the movement of LPG cylinders would be resumed from the Udayamperoor plant from Tuesday morning.

A total of 50,000 cylinders move daily from the plant and the current strike paralysed the plant for the past five days.

A new long-term agreement is set to come into force at the plant from May 1 with a new contractor taking charge.