Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The North-Eastern Oil Workers’ Coordination Committee (NEROWCC) said that it would extend full support to the nationwide general strike called by central trade unions and workers’ federations against anti-labour policies of the government.
Addressing a press conference at Guwahati Press Club on Saturday Biren Kalita, the general secretary NEROWCC, appealed to the permanent and temporary workers to help and cooperate and make the strike a success. Kalita said, “Under the Essential Service Maintenance Act (Assam) 1980 they’ve banned strike by oil and gas sector employees, both temporary and permanent. They’ve declared ban, however, we’ll come in to protest as we all know the government is anti-labourers. Hence, we’ve decided to extend our support to the strike, and we demand 21,000 as monthly minimum wage for all labourers.”
Senior NEROWCC vice president Ramen Das said that on January 8 oil will not be loaded in loading centres. “Everything starting from gas plant to loading centres will remain closed. We’ve also appealed to the petrol pumps, dealers and distributors to extend their support to this strike, because the government is a murderer of labourers. Besides the private transport, the government transport will also remain closed. Transport employees and tea garden workers will be on the streets to extend their support to the strike. We appeal to everyone to come in so as to save our Constitution and economic backbone.”
Working president of Numaligarh Refinery Employees’ Union Ripun Saikia said that though the government announced that it’ll not privatize NRL but they’ve not yet clarified the matter as to with whom the refinery will go. “We want them to clarify with whom – IOCL or OIL – NRL will go. We don’t want BPCL privatization because this will affect NRL as BPCL is engaged in selling 80% of our products. However, NRL prefers IOCL over OIL to be with.” The secretary of casual workers’ union of oil sector Keshab Goswami also said that the casual workers too will not accept the CAA and to show the anti-labour government that without labourers and workers a government is nothing.