Leaders of a faction of Bangladesh Petrol Pumps Owners Association (BPPOA) have claimed that the leaders of another faction who have called strike are “nobody of the organization”.  

“Those leaders were expelled from the organisation for their misappropriation of funds,” said Nazmul Haque, president of the faction of BPPOA which opposed the strike.

Read: Faction of petrol pump owners call strike from Sunday

“Since, the government has already met one of our three demands and assured us of meeting the other two within September 30, we don’t support this strike,” he said while addressing at a press conference in the Jamuna Oil’s meeting room in the city on Sunday.

Earlier, the faction of the BPPOA, led by Syed Sazzadul Karim Kabul and Mizanur Rahman Ratan, president and secretary general respectively, announced the strike at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity on August 27.

They said that the members of the organisation will begin the strike for an indefinite period at the petrol pumps from September 2 unless their demands are met by August 31.

As a result, an indefinite strike called by fuel traders in Khulna is underway since this morning (September 03, 2023) to realise their three-point demand including hike in commission on fuel sales.

Read: Expedite implementation of Kuwait’s proposed petroleum refinery in Bangladesh: PM

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.