Khulna fuel traders on indefinite strike with 3-point demand

A petrol filling station remaining closed in Khulna on Sunday. UNB

Khulna, Sep 3 -An indefinite strike called by fuel traders in Khulna is underway since this morning to realise their three-point demand including hiking commission on fuel sales.

Moving fuel from Padma, Jamuna and Meghna oil depots has remained suspended since 8 am.

Bangladesh Tank-Lorry Owners’ Association, Bangladesh Fuel Oil Distributors Association, Khulna Divisional Tank-Lorry Workers’ Union and Padma, Meghna and Jamuna Tank-Lorry Workers’ Welfare Association are observing the strike.

Their demands include raising commission on fuel sales to at least 7.5 percent, setting the tank-lorry economic life to 50 years, and issuing a gazette notification mentioning fuel traders as commission agents as per previous pledges.

As news of the strike surfaced earlier, a huge number of motorbikes and private vehicles were seen forming queues at fuel pumps in Khulna on Saturday night.

Claiming their demands as logical, Md Muraduzzaman, a leader of petrol pump owners’ association, said they were forced to start the strike from Sunday morning as their demands were not met by August 31.

The strike will end when their three-point demand is met, he said.

Divisional Fuel Oil Distributor Association’s President Abdul Gaffar Biswas said, so far no remarkable headway has been noticed in this regard.

As a result they were compelled to go for an indefinite strike from Sunday morning, he said.

Earlier on August 23, the Khulna fuel traders threatened to go for an indefinite strike from September 3 if their three-point demand was not met by August 31.

Gaffar announced it after a meeting with fuel traders in the New Market area of Khulna city. - UNB