Tema-Ghana, Nov. 15, MNN – The Joint Association of Point Transport Union (JAPTU) has announced a sit-down strike by the Ghana Haulage Transport Drivers Association operating at the Tema main port.
Over 6,000 haulage transport drivers on Tuesday parked their vehicles to show their dissatisfaction with the current fuel prices and their negative impact on their business operations.
The sit-down strike is to draw the attention of the government over the impact of the consistent fuel price hikes as well as unfavorable working conditions.
Mr. Shamsu Baba Yaro, Vice Chairman of JAPTU announcing the decision noted that drivers who were involved in the haulage transport business have been demobilized by the current economic crises.
He added that one would need an amount of GHC5,300.00 to purchase six drums of fuel in Ghana for a cross-country journey but elsewhere they spent far below that amount to purchase the same quantity of fuel.
“You need an amount of 1.6 million CFA which is equivalent to GHC2,500.00 to buy the same quantity of fuel in other West African countries, this is unbearable any longer,” he said.
He said the cost of doing business in Ghana now is extremely expensive and called the government and other parastatals to try as much as possible to reduce the prices of fuel more especially diesel.
Mr. Yaro stressed that the drivers’ played an integral role in raking in revenue for the development of the country, saying they spent huge sum of money to purchase fuel than they do in other neighboring countries within the West African sub-region.
The JAPTU Vice Chairman reiterated that, until they received a favourable response from the government or the key stakeholders, no haulage transport vehicle would cart goods from the harbour to any part of the sub-region.
Meanwhile, the management of the Tema Port has initiated moves to intervene in the industrial action with engagement with the leadership of the driver’s union over the sit-down strike.
Authorities have asked for a 24-hour to provide some reasonable feedback to the agitated drivers so as to decide the next line of Action.
In a related development GOIL Company Limited has reduced prices of petroleum products at the pumps by 11.5 percent beginning Tuesday, November 15, 2022, to lighten the economic hardship and appreciate the challenges of the consuming public.
GOIL Public Affairs statement issued on Tuesday and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tema said Super XP Ron 95 (petrol) will sell at GH¢16.82 while Diesel XP will be sold at GH¢20.50 per litre.
Management of the company explained the decision is to cushion consumers in the wake of high prices for petroleum products on the international market and recent forex differentials.
According to the statement GOIL as the foremost indigenous Oil Marketing Company continues to focus on marketing quality petroleum and other energy products and services in a safe, ethical, healthy, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible manner.
GOIL has set out a strategic oil industrial revolution roadmap to ensure that indigenous Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) dominate the downstream oil sector.
The statement said GOIL will continue to roll out a competitive pricing strategy as part of the broader measures to ensure dominance in the downstream oil industry.
“GOIL will continue to strictly enforce a national policy of maintenance of high standards at the forecourt of its filling stations across the country,” the statement said.
“We are focused on the vision to be a world-class provider of goods and services in the petroleum and other areas of the energy industry as our geographical spread places us first in terms of the distribution of petroleum products whilst our networks enable GOIL products to reach virtually all parts of the country.
“GOIL remains one of the forerunners in the state-owned enterprises’ sector and the petroleum industry in general,” the statement stated.
