Strike by India’s oil company employees ends

Due to pressure from the Indian government, protesting officers of state-run oil companies withdrew their two-day-old strike that slowed fuel supplies to a trickle across the country, hit power generation and forced closure of several fertilizer units. Bharat Petroleum was the first to break ranks with the strike called by the Oil Sector Officers Association (OSOA) in January. The government’s iron fist regarding striking employees first became evident when the Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) sacked 64 employees believed to be strike leaders. The companies gave police forces a list of officers who were not reporting for work to be tracked down and escorted to work. The officers had to comply with orders or face arrest followed by suspension and firing. (January 10, 2009)