NEW DELHI , India ( CNN ) -- Facing intense government pressure , Indian oil workers agreed to call off a three-day strike and go back to work , the Oil and Petroleum Ministry announced . Long queues at gas stations have become a common sight across India in recent days . The workers ended the strike Friday , after the government threatened to suspend , fire or arrest workers who did not return to their jobs . The impact of the strike had been felt across all major cities in India , including Mumbai and New Delhi , where motorists waited in long lines to purchase fuel . Police had been called in to maintain order at many stations . Power plants that rely on gas ran out , causing power cuts , and airlines were forced to delay flights . Some 45,000 workers walked off the job at the government-controlled oil companies Wednesday after the government refused their demands for higher pay . India 's Home Minister P. Chidambaram had called on workers to end the strike immediately , saying it was `` placing an intolerable burden on the people . '' He had said the army could be called in if the crisis deepened . Meanwhile , a separate nationwide strike by truck operators entered its sixth day , with some truck operators saying arrested strikers had to be released before talks could take place , the Press Trust of India reported . Five All India Motor Transport Congress leaders were arrested Friday on charges of disrupting the supply of commodities , the Indo-Asian News Service reported . `` We will not give up our agitation and will not hold any talks with the government until we are released unconditionally , '' AIMTC Secretary-General S. Venugopal told the news service . The AIMTC is demanding a reduction in diesel and tire prices , the Indo-Asian News Service reported . On Saturday , the transport minister , Thiru T.R . Baalu , said the government was `` ready to discuss '' the truck operators ' demands , the news service reported . However , he warned the government could suspend or revoke workers ' permits , according to a summary of his remarks released by the government . -- CNN 's Sara Sidner and Bharati Naik contributed to this report .
They ended strike after the . threats to strike , fire or arrest workers . Impact of the strike had been felt across all major cities in India . 45,000 workers walked off the job at govt.-controlled companies alone . Government had refused their demands for higher pay .