KOCHI
The Kerala High Court on Friday restrained all the trade unions in the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Kochi Refinery, Ambalamugal, from going on strike on March 28 and March 29.
Justice Amit Rawal passed the order on a petition by the BPCL seeking to restrain the Cochin Refineries Employees’ Association (CREA), Cochin Refineries Workers’ Association (CRWA), General and Construction Workers’ Union (CITU), Cochin Refineries General Workers’ Congress (INTUC) and Kerala Petroleum and Gas Workers Union (CITU) from participating in the strike.
The company said that as the petroleum industry had been declared as a public utility service, the petitioner had a public duty to maintain an uninterrupted supply of petroleum products for the smooth movement of goods, persons, and services by road, rail, ship and air. Any disruption in supply would affect essential sectors such as power generation, fertilizers, aviation, defence, transport, and agriculture.
Meanwhile, another single judge directed the police to provide adequate protection to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Irumpanam, Kochi, and to see that there was no obstruction to the access to the petitioner’s premises during the strike.
