Kitchens in households across seven districts may be hit with movement of cooking gas cylinders from the bottling plant of BPCL-Kochi Refineries at Ambalamugal remaining disrupted for the second consecutive day on Friday due to a standoff between workers and owners of trucks over appointing permanent fulltime cleaners. While a few trucks resumed operation towards the evening after the owners posted cleaners, majority of the trucks were still off the road.
While truck drivers accused the owners of going back on their promise on cleaners, the latter attributed the stalemate to the intransigence and lack of cooperation on the part of workers.
The plant has engaged 116 trucks for transporting about 90 loads of LPG cylinders a day to agencies in Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Idukki districts. However, the movement has been seriously affected despite the oil company making alternative arrangements.
Owners blamed
A trade union representative said the last strike over the issue in February was called off on an understanding that fulltime cleaners would be appointed in all trucks.
“However, the promise was not kept except in the case of a few trucks. Since the oil company does not let in trucks without cleaners for loading cylinders, workers have been forced to hire people for Rs.100 just to have their trucks inside the plant. There is no point in any more discussions since a lot of talks had already taken place on this demand raised since 2011,”he said.
Oil company representatives were not available for comment. Meanwhile, in a letter to the District Collector and Assistant Labour Commissioner requesting their intervention to restore the cylinder movement, a group of truck owners alleged that the cleaners appointed by them were forced to quit after the drivers harassed them with the intention of appropriating their allowance.
They alleged their move to post new cleaners was also being stonewalled by the drivers.
They expressed their willingness to surrender their trucks to the district administration along with operational expenses.
The District Collector on Friday said if the strike reached a point where the distribution of cooking gas in the city was seriously affected, the district administration would urge the State government to invoke Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).
“The strike by workers is illegal and there is no question of yielding to their demands,” the Collector said.
