Fuel retailers plan indefinite strike from Sep 20

The Federation of All-India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT) on Wednesday said it will go on an indefinite strike September 20 to press for demands such as raising the commission on fuel sales and a uniform rate for petroleum products across the country.

"All the petroleum dealers representing FAIPT will go on strike for indefinite period from September 20 protesting against the indifferent attitude of the Union government towards our demands," FAIPT National Joint Secretary Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal said.

Grewal lamented that dealers were forced to take this extreme step as the Centre has not been paying any heed to their genuine demands for a long time.

The dealers are seeking a 5 per cent commission on the retail price of petrol and diesel, citing erosion of margins in selling fuel. "We are currently getting Rs 1 per litre of petrol and 65 paise a litre on diesel, based on volume. But we want our commission at a rate of 5 per cent... on retail prices," he said.

"Traders have been bleeding profusely due to inadequate margins and a rise in operational expenditure. Evaporation or leakage of fuel oil takes away 1 or 2 per cent margin being provided by oil companies. Rest of margin is consumed with the rise in wages, power and other charges," he said.

FAIPT also demanded there should be a single rate of petroleum products across India, as a variation in duties and taxes from state-to-state leads to variation in prices, causing smuggling of fuel from one state to another. Petroleum dealers further lamented that commissioning of new retail outlets by competing PSU oil companies were also hitting the business of existing fuel stations.

He said that a meeting of FAIPT's managing committee has been called on September 4 at New Delhi, where the course of action for the proposed strike will be discussed.