LPG Traders Call Off Two-Day Nationwide Strike

LPG traders have withdrawn their announced two-day nationwide strike following talks with the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC). A public hearing on their demand for higher commissions on LPG sales has been scheduled for October 29.

The traders announced the withdrawal on Wednesday, October 14, after several rounds of meetings with the BERC chairman over the past two days.

On October 12, LPG traders had announced plans to shut down all LPG shops across the country on October 15 and 16 to press for their demands.

Mohammad Selim Khan, president of the LPG Gas Traders Welfare Association, said the decision to call off the strike followed a meeting with the BERC chairman at around 3:30pm on Wednesday.

According to Khan, the BERC chairman assured the traders that their demands would be addressed in phases through a public hearing scheduled for 10am on October 29.

Following the assurance, the traders decided to withdraw the strike.

Earlier on Wednesday, government representatives held a meeting with LPG operators at the conference room of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources at the Secretariat.

At a joint press briefing after the meeting, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir urged the traders to call off the strike.

The energy minister also warned that strict legal action would be taken if the traders refused to withdraw the strike.