BPCL serves showcause notice to staff who took part in strike, threatens wage cut

• Terming the strike 'illegal,' the management has asked employees to provide a satisfactory response to the showcause notice or face deductions

• In response, the trade unions have decided to contest the penal deductions, take legal recourse and serve another strike notice soon

New Delhi: The management of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has served a showcause notice to the employees who took part in the two-day strike on September 7 and 8 and has warned them of wage cuts for taking part in the "illegal" agitation, a notice sent by the management to the employees showed. According to the notice, reviewed by PSU Watch, the management has said that, "…the office bearers and members of Cochin Refineries Workers Association (CRWA), Cochin Refineries Employees' Association (CREA), Refineries Employees Union- KRL (REU-KRL) and BPCL Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and other workmen proceeded on 'illegal' strike in a concerted manner on 7th Sept' 2020 & 8th Sept' 2020 in violation of provisions of The lndustrial Disputes Act, 1947 and applicable Certified Standing Orders."

Also read: Day 1: BPCL strike sees strong 84% turnout; ops at Kochi, Mumbai refinery hit, say unions

The notice has directed all BPCL workmen, who took part in the two-day on strike to show cause "as to why penal wages and allowances of 8 (eight) days for striking work during 07.00 AM on 07.09.2020 to 07.00 AM on 09.09.2020 should not be deducted in accordance with principles enunciated under The Payment of Wages Act, 1936, in addition to the deduction of wages and allowances on the principle of "No Work – No Pay." It also advised employees to consider the notice as an individual show-cause notice and added that if a satisfactory response is not received within seven days, the deductions will be made from September salaries.

Strike impacted production, business, posed risk to safe operations: BPCL

In the notice, the management has also claimed that the concerted action of strike by employee and workers' unions did not just impact production and the business of BPCL, but also led to loss of reputation and posed a risk to safe operations. "Thus, this concerted act of a large section of workmen of proceeding on 'illegal' strike not only caused heavy tangible and intangible losses to the Corporation; but also caused great operational inconvenience in catering to customers…," the notice said.

Unions warn of multiple-day strike and 'surprise move' on AGM day

In the backdrop of the showcause notice sent by the BPCL management, the trade unions at the oil marketing company decided at a late-night meeting to contest the decision to impose penal deductions, take legal recourse and serve another strike notice for a multiple-day nationwide strike. Praveenkumar P, General Secretary of Cochin Refineries Employees Association (INTUC), who spoke to PSU Watch after the virtual meeting of the trade unions, said, "If the management proceeds with penal deductions without discussing wage revision and LTS with the unions, the unions have decided to serve another strike notice for multiple-day strike pan-India." Alongwith multiple-day nationwide strike, the unions are also planning a surprise move on September 28, when the BPCL annual general meeting (AGM) is slated to take place, said Kumar.

He added that the unions have also decided to take legal recourse, details of which will become clear in due course. In the meanwhile, the trade unions will also muster support from MPs in their respective areas and will request them to raise the issue in the Parliament during the upcoming Session. 

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