KOCHI: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) management’s move to bring in favourable conditions for privatisation under the guise of pay reform has irked the workers and they have launched a nationwide 48-hour protest. The workers at Kochi Refinery of BPCL, numbering around 1,470, too are striking.“A total of 4,570 workers, led by 13 unions in BPCL Mumbai, Kochi Refinery and marketing sectors of BPCL are taking part in the strike. The workers are also not happy with the BPCL management’s moves to split the unions,” said Aji M G, secretary, Cochin Refinery Workers’ Association.
According to him, the pay revision happens every 10 years. “The last one ended in 2018 and the management along with the unions had been holding discussions regarding it. However, with an eye on privatisation, the management began singing a different tune. They said that an agreement can be arrived at regarding the pay, but the workers need to cede the management the right to review the contract after June 2022,” he said.
