The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the management of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) to drop its decision to initiate disciplinary action including eight-day wage deduction against workers who went on a strike on November 26 to halt the privatisation of the company, and for repealing the labour codes.

“Such disciplinary actions against the workers has damaged the fine fabric of mutual co-operation and good relations to a certain extent. If this attitude continues, it will further damage the industrial relations atmosphere and peace in the Company, though the need of the hour is better co-operation and mutual understanding,” Elamaram Kareem, Member of Parliament and Leader of CPI (M) Group in Rajya Sabha wrote in a December 12 letter to K Padmakar, Chairman and Managing Director in-charge, BPCL.

More than 25 crore workers participated in the strike called jointly by 10 national trade unions and independent federations.

On December 2, the BPCL management served show cause notices on workers in its Kochi Refinery seeking to deduct wages and allowances up to eight days as a disciplinary action for participating in the strike held on November 26.

Such action was taken against workmen of BPCL when they participated in strikes on November 28, 2019; January 8, 2020; and September 7-8, 2020.

“Though workers from various central public sector companies participated in the strikes, only the BPCL management has shown an attitude of vengeance against the workers,” Kareem wrote in the letter, urging the company management to “review the decision and discontinue any disciplinary action or penal wage deduction”.

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