LPG traders call off two-day strike after BERC talks

LPG traders have withdrawn their planned two-day nationwide strike, due on 15 and 16 October, after talks with the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), which has scheduled a public hearing for 29 October to review their demands over LPG prices and commissions.

The decision was announced on Wednesday following a meeting with BERC Chairman Jalal Ahmed and stern warnings from senior government officials. Abu Taher Qureshi, organisational secretary of the LPG traders’ cooperative association, said the commission had assured them that their demands would be examined at the hearing and that their concerns would be considered when the new price is announced in November. Furthermore, cases filed against traders by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and mobile courts would be reviewed. The traders contend that they have been compelled to buy LPG above BERC-set prices and then penalised for selling at higher rates, and they have demanded a revision of commissions, an end to alleged harassment and permission to return unused cylinders to the market.

Meanwhile, intelligence reports indicate that at least five importers sharply curtailed supplies from 22 September after international prices rose by $64 per tonne. Moreover, official figures show that Bangladesh imported 158,000 tonnes of LPG in August and 156,000 tonnes in September, raising questions about claims of a supply shortage and allegations of stockpiling.

Read More: LPG traders announce two-day nationwide shutdown

The government has taken a firm stance against any disruption to the supply of LPG, a fuel on which millions of households depend. At a meeting with LPG operators at the Secretariat on Wednesday, Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir urged the traders to call off the strike. Mr Tuku cautioned that any attempt to manipulate the market or foment instability could invite legal action under the Essential Articles (Control) Act, 1956. Consequently, the hearing on 29 October is expected to bring the parties together to scrutinise the pricing structure and the commission-related disputes.