Petroleum union negotiations successful, strike called off

Apr 25, 2017 (LBO) - The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) unions called off their strike late on Monday following successful discussions with Sri Lanka's Prime Minister and Petroleum Minister Chandima Weerakkody.







Employees of the Ceylon Petroleum Cooperation launched a strike from midnight Sunday opposing an agreement to be signed with India regarding developing the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm and establishing an oil refinery.



"We decided to call it off after discussions with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe," the Petroleum Joint Union Alliance said speaking to Lanka Business Online following discussions at Temple Trees. D.J. Rajakaruna, convener of the Alliance earlier alleged that the agreement to hand over the Trincomalee Oil Farm to India is to be finalised during the Prime Minister's visit to India from April 25.





Minister Weerakkody claimed that the Indian Oil Company was already using the tank farm in Trincomalee and that successive governments had accepted a lease payment of US 100,000 dollars per annum.



He added that the last Cabinet paper submitted by him was an attempt to regain some form of control of the oil farm to Sri Lanka.

“The unions have misunderstood the issue.

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