KATHMANDU, Aug 4: Employees of bankrupt petroleum monopoly -- Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) -- are stalling distribution of fuel across the country on Wednesday in a bid to put pressure on NOC board to allow the management distribute bonus.
“We are bringing operations of all NOC depots, except the Aviation Depot at Tribhuvan International Airport, to a grinding halt on Wednesday,” said Shiva Adhikari, general secretary of NOC Employees´ Organization, one of the two agitating trade unions at the corporation.
Likewise, the Organization and NOC Employees´ Association have also announced that they would stop the distribution of fuel to the market during the first half on Thursday and Friday. That means the NOC depots will distribute fuel on the second half only on those days.
The two trade unions have labeled this as just a ´sample strike´ to establish their legitimate rights over bonus worth Rs 200 million for 2008/09, when NOC earned Rs 3.31 billion as profit.
But, as the financial insolvent public utility still has a cumulative loss worth around Rs 8 billion plus outstanding loans of about Rs 10.5 billion to repay, the management´s attempt to enjoy bonus had drawn wider criticism, forcing NOC board to annul its earlier decision to distribute bonus.
“If the management still turns deaf ears to our rightful claims over bonus, we will turn market dry and cut supply of aviation fuel to domestic and international flights from Sunday,” reads a memorandum that the employees handed to NOC management on Tuesday.
Adhikari along with office-bearers of NOC Employees´ Association held the management responsible for the strike that might create unpleasant situation to consumers. They claimed that the management, despite their ultimatum to fulfill their 13-point demands within seven days, had done nothing to address them.
The two trade unions had handed over their joint demand letter to the management last Wednesday, seeking the board to revoke its decision to cancel distribution of bonus.
They had also urged the management to revise acceptable loss limit at depots and withdraw actions taken against staffs that inflicted huge loss to NOC in the name of technical loss, among others.
Officials at the corporation admitted that no serious dialogue between the trade unions and the management was held over this period.
“No talks could be held because the management could do nothing on their main demand related to bonus (as it falls under the board´s authority) and they (unions) were not eager to talk on other demands without fulfilling the demand related to bonus distribution,” said an official, requesting anonymity.
The unions ignored the NOC board call to sit for talks on Tuesday.
“The choice for NOC board is difficult. They can neither let staffs walk away with bonus under cumulative loss situation nor withstand pressure that will emanate from fuel shortage,” said a NOC board member.
Clearly, the resistance to instigate financial discipline and check leakage in the corporation has yet again put consumers at trouble, subjected them to undue trouble.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=21819
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