The Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association on Tuesday gave an ultimatum to the government, threatening a nationwide strike unless its four-point demand, including an increase in commission on CNG sales, is met.

The association announced it will observe a symbolic countrywide strike on July 30 if its demands remain unaddressed, followed by an indefinite shutdown of all CNG filling stations across the country from August 23.

The programme was announced at a press conference held at Akram Tower in Bijoynagar. Amiruzzaman Chowdhury, convener of the steering committee formed to implement the programme, read out a written statement.

The commission on CNG sales has remained unchanged at Tk 8 per cubic metre since September 1, 2015, the press conference was told.

Over the past nearly 11 years, electricity and gas prices have risen multiple times, while high inflation has pushed up workers' wages, bank guarantee commissions, interest on loans, the dollar exchange rate, and other operational costs several times over. With the commission remaining static, most stations are now running at a loss, the association said.

The four-point demand includes raising the commission on CNG sales from Tk 8 to at least Tk 13.96 per cubic metre, introducing a mechanism for automatic adjustment of the commission whenever fuel prices rise in future, scrapping the practice of collecting additional security deposits from existing customers following gas price hikes, and bringing down licence and renewal fees charged by various government agencies, including land lease fees under the Roads and Highways Department, to a reasonable level.

Under the announced programme, a symbolic strike will be observed at all CNG filling stations across the country from 6:00 am to midnight on July 30, during which scope for dialogue with the government will remain open.

However, if no progress is made on the demands, all CNG filling stations nationwide will be shut indefinitely from August 23, the association said.

Association leaders alleged that despite repeated attempts to contact the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) to discuss their demands, they received no positive response.

Two main arguments were presented at the press conference in favour of raising the commission to Tk 13.96. First, the latest hike in electricity prices has significantly increased the cost of running stations. Second, inflation, the rise in workers' minimum wages, the high dollar exchange rate, and other operating costs have rendered the existing commission structure unworkable.

The association further said the demand for a commission hike is not new. A high-level technical committee formed earlier by the ministry and Petrobangla had recommended raising the commission by Tk 2.98, but BERC increased the margin by only Tk 1 in 2015, leaving the rest of the recommendation unimplemented.

Since the government fixes both the purchase and sale prices of CNG, leaders said, station owners have no scope to pass on rising operational costs to consumers, making it increasingly difficult for the environment-friendly sector, built on an investment of around Tk 5,000 crore, to survive.

They called for swift government intervention to implement their demands and spare the general public from suffering.

Monoranjan Bhakta, president of the association, and Farhan Noor, its secretary general, were present along with other central leaders.