ONGC officers holds relay fast,threaten work boycott

Dehradun, Jan 12 (UNI) Executives of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) today sat on a relay fast at ONGC premises here seeking resolution to their demands.

Donning black band, ONGC's 'O' to '7' level executive officers gathered at the ONGC premises here this morning and initiated a day's relay fast under the leadership of President Association of Scientific&Technical Officers (ASTO) B M L Aswal.

Treasurer ASTO A Chakraborty said ASTO's key demands include merger of 50 per cent Dearness Allowances (DA) in basic pay, interim payments of salary increment due on January 2007, self lease of the personal houses of Executive-0 to Executive-02 level officers and early decision on post retirement benefit scheme.

He said the officers also want that the management to take immediate decision on their promotion due since 2006.

Mr Chakraborty added that if relay fast did not yield any result, the Association would embark on a "Work to rule" strategy to press on their demands.

Under the "Work to rule" strategy, the Officers would only work in their specific office timings from 0930 Hrs to 1730 Hrs, he informed.

'' No extra duties would be opted by the officers,'' Mr Chakraborty asserted.

He, further, maintained that if the management fails to take any positive step, then the Association would be forced to recourse to desperate measures like indefinite hunger strike and a total boycott of work.

UNI