New Delhi: Oil sector trade unions on January 27 threatened to go on an indefinite strike from the day government notified a schedule for privatising public sector Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).

"All employees and officers of all the public sector oil companies will go on an indefinite strike the day government announces a time-table for privatisation of HPCL and BPCL," Ashok Singh, president of Oil Sector Officers Association, a representative body of all trade unions, said from Ahmedabad.

Singh said the Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment had on January 26 approved sale of government stake in HPCL to a strategic partner and that in BPCL to public. "(Disinvestment Minister Arun) Shourie had yesterday stated that his department would now work on the privatisation schedule. The day they announce a time-table we will go on a flash strike."

The oil unions demanded that government stop the privatisation programme in oil sector because of its strategic importance and desist from changing the public sector character of HPCL and BPCL.

PTI