The Federation of All India Petroleum Traders, which claims to represent more than 25,000 petrol pump operators, threatened to go on indefinite strike from July 18 if their demand of increasing dealers' commission to 5 per cent of the sale price from the current 1.59 per cent on petrol and 1.27 per cent on diesel was not accepted.

Petrol pumps had last shut shop on April 18 to press for the same set of demands.  "Even after several repeated requests to the government and the oil industry we have not received any relief or affirmative action from the oil industry," Ashok Badhwar, FAIPT president said.

FAIPT said the dealers' commission (the money a petrol pump operator or dealer gets on sale of petrol or diesel) on petrol was 1.92 per cent and 1.62 per cent on diesel in 2001.  This has come down to 1.59 per cent on petrol and 1.27 per cent on diesel in 2005.

"It is surprising and shocking that in the year 1960, our commission was 8.20 per cent on selling price of petrol and diesel. On the other hand, operating expenses have gone up every year on account of minimum wages being revised nine times, power tariffs going up and increase in insurance premium," Badhwar said.

He said petrol pumps will down shutters on the midnight of June 19-20 for 24 hours till the midnight of June 20-21.