CPC TUS STRIKE UNACCEPTABLE, SAYS MINISTER

No formal agreement yet

Petroleum and Petroleum Gas Minister Chandima Weerakkody yesterday called the threat by Ceylon Petroleum Corporation(cpc) trade unions to launch a strike completely unacceptable.

The CPC Unions’ Collective had announced this strike mainly to urge the government to halt the proposed move to lease out the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm to India.

Mr. Weerakkody told that the unions should not be hasty as they were not aware of all the facts regarding the government’s move and therefore their allegations were baseless. “I have submitted a Cabinet Paper requesting permission to develop the oil tanks in Hambantota jointly by the CPC and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. The Trincomalee tanks were given to India for 35 years at a cost of 100,000 USD per annum in 2003. They have paid us this sum for 15 years now,” he said.

He said that of the 99 tanks presently given out 10 would be taken back, while the remainder would be shared by Lanka IOC and CPC.

Therefore, Minister Weerakkody said that the claims the unions were making against the Government were completely untrue and their fears were unfounded.

He said however, that the demands of the TUS would be looked into today.

Minister Weerakkody assured that so far no agreement had been worked out regarding the oil tanks in Hambantota and Trincomalee and therefore the trade unions should not create unnecessary problems and thereby inconvenience the general public.