High Court Restrains BPCL Employees In Tamil Nadu From Going On Strike

The Madras High Court on Monday restrained employees of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. in Tamil Nadu from going on a strike on Nov. 28-29 to protest against the Centre's decision to privatise the corporation.

Passing interim orders on a petition from BPCL Managing Director MV Shenoy seeking to declare the strike call as illegal, Justice SM Subramaniam also directed the police to provide security to the premises of the public sector company in the state as prayed.

The Union cabinet had on Nov. 20 gave its nod to the plan to sell government’s 53 percent stake in BPCL saying the resources unlocked by disinvestment would be used to fund public welfare benefits.

Raising objections to the move, over 20 different employees unions of BPCL called for a nationwide strike. Following this, BPCL management filed the petitions saying employees unions of such public-sector companies must give at least six-day notice to the management before resorting to a strike as per the Industrial Disputes Act.