Petrol pumps across Sri Lanka ran dry on Tuesday as state petroleum transport workers went on strike, fearing the government is planning to privatise the state fuel distribution and storage arm.
Union leaders met with government officials to discuss the appointment of a new chairman for Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's fuel storage unit, which workers oppose and see as a first step towards a sale of what is now run as a separate company.
The government has repeatedly stressed it will not privatise any state assets.
"Why are they appointing a new chairman if they are not about to privatise?" asked D.J. Rajakaruna, a committee member of the Ceylon Petroleum Corp common services union.
"The Prime Minister had promised not to appoint a chairman and to remerge the Ceylon Petroleum storage terminal." The Ceylon Petroleum Corp was divided into four separate units under a previous government in 2003, and unions want President Mahinda Rajapakse - who came to power on a nationalist, anti-privatisation platform - to merge them back into a single company.
The strike, which began on Monday afternoon, comes as pumps at leading fuel retailer Lanka IOC are also empty amid a separate spat with the government over fuel subsidies - meaning there is little or no fuel available. Lanka IOC has now resolved the stand-off, but also relies on the state distribution and storage unit, and so is unable to refuel its own outlets. Officials said it would likely take days for fuel deliveries to normalise.