Now petrol pump owners in 3 divisions go into strike
Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Palm Owners' Association has called for a symbolic strike in demand of increasing oil sales commission at a rate proportional to the increased prices of fuel oil.
The symbolic strike will continue from 6am to 6pm on Monday (22 August). During this period, no pump owner will buy oil from the depots in Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.
However, the sale of oil from petrol pumps will remain uninterrupted, confirmed Saroj Das Pintu, office secretary of Bangladesh Fuel Oil Distributors Association (Khulna division).
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He said that this symbolic strike has been called by the Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Palm Owners' Association for three divisions. Other associations involved in oil services have expressed solidarity with this strike.
Their demands include increasing the prevailing commission on the sale of fuel oil to at least 7.5%, publishing the names of businessmen as commission agents in gazette form, abolishing the practice of taking a lease for the land of petrol pumps by the Roads and Highways Department as the land users i.e. all vehicles pay tax according to the rules of the government, cancelling the license system of other agencies except trade license and explosive license on petrol pumps.
"Although the government keeps on assuring us time after time, the demands are yet to be met. The price of oil is being hiked again and again, but our commission is being paid as per that of the archaic gazette. Following the increase in oil prices, our investment has increased but the income didn't increase," Saroj Das Pintu added
Earlier on 7 August, the Khulna Divisional Tank-Lorry Owners Association stopped oil extraction and transportation from the depot in protest against not increasing the commission and tanker rent despite the increase in the price of fuel oil.
However, after receiving assurance from Khulna District Commissioner Md Moniruzzaman, they called off the strike in the afternoon.
