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JVP threatens all-out oil strike tomorrow
By Chris Kamalendran
The JVP trade union is due to meet tomorrow to take a crucial decision on an islandwide fuel strike because the government has not yet given an assurance that the remaining CPC filling stations will not be privatised.

JVP trade union leader Lakshman Ananda said they had sought a meeting with the minister to discuss the issue but they were not given an opportunity and strike action appeared to be the only option.

He warned that if the JVP union was pushed, the strike action would be full scale and even security forces and the airport would be crippled with only hospitals being spared. But Power and Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha is standing strong and hitting back at the JVP.

He said he had written to the Attorney General seeking legal advice on how the CPC could gain control over the 33 percent of the filling stations owned by the Treasury. Thus he believed it would be wrong to strike while corrective action was being taken.

However, union leader Ananda said they had been waiting for the AG's opinion for four months and were not prepared to sit and wait any longer. In a related development the Treasury has informed the CPC that it would not be in a position to pay the subsidy from October onwards and accordingly the corporation will have to suffer a loss of Rs. 2,500 million a month.

Treasury Secretary P. B. Jayasundara has said the 2004 subsidy for the CPC is exhausted and there will be no objection to a price increase. According to latest price revisions proposed, petrol will go up from Rs. 68 (out of Colombo price) to Rs. 72.50 a litre, Kerosene from Rs. 25.50 to Rs. 43.60 and diesel from Rs. 42.00 to Rs. 50.50

Fuel Minister wants a transfer
Power and Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha has requested for a change of portfolio following differences with a JVP-led trade union over the sale of more CPC filling stations to an Indian company, informed sources said.

The Sunday Times learns that the minister had written to the President suggesting that his portfolio be changed to Public Administration. During the past few months, there were several instances when fuel prices were increased reportedly without the knowledge of the minister.

Minister Premajayantha when contacted by The Sunday Times did not admit that he had written to the President, but said that "if the Public Administration portfolio is given to me I could do a better service to the people".

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