Oil executives protest government claims on wages

After a two-day strike in mid-January demanding pay increases, officers of state-owned Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (BPCL) registered another protest via India’s Right to Information (RTI) Act. While the government claimed that they were drawing a gross salary between Rs100,000 (US$2,043) and Rs300,000 (US$6,129) a month, about 100 officers from the oil companies in Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, including 60 officers from IOC on Nungambakkam High Road, wrote letters citing the RTI Act to the Petroleum Ministry asking it to provide details regarding officers’ current salaries as well as the salary hike proposed in the pay revision. Most officers draw a monthly salary of less than Rs50,000 (US$10421.50) even after 20 years of service, the officers stated, while entry-level officers draw Rs30,000 (US$612.90) to Rs35,000 (US$715.05). (January 20, 2009)