The workers are demanding a complete shutdown of the Indian central government's plans to privatise the state-owned, public sector oil and gas companies and have accused the government of implementing a policy of privatising "highly profitable and cash-rich" oil companies.

Should this strike happen, it will be the first time that all the trade union organisations have worked together to call for a strike. "The call has been given irrespective of the affiliations of the trade unions to defeat the Government's policy," said Gurudas Dasgupta, the general secretary for the All-India Trade Union Congress.

This unprecedented move was sparked by the government's plans to partially disinvest in both the Indian Oil Corp and Oil (IOC) and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).

The companies who would be affected by the picket are IOC, ONGC, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd.