The National Petroleum Authority has indicated its willingness to compromise in its discussion with striking gas tanker drivers.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the PRO for the authority, Mohammed Kudus said “if there is the need to give and take, we will do that and if there is the need for possible re-engineering to the good of all of us, we will do that.”
The strike began on Monday and left some consumers unable to purchase LPG for their homes and business.
The drivers have now expanded their strike to cover the transport of other petroleum products like petrol, kerosene and diesel.
The Ghana National Tanker Drivers Association has complained about its working conditions and treatment from the authority and the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company.
The drivers have also raised concerns with the seals and tracking devices that check the integrity of the fuel in the transportation process.
Mr. Kudus noted that “we cannot just throw out the project just because they think that it is not helping them in their course of work.”
He also stressed the need to factor in the consumers of the products the drivers transport.
“So we will have to be factoring in their concerns in arriving at a decision that will be a kind of win-win for all of us,” Mr. Kudus said.
Also commenting on the strike, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, said the strike could have more dire consequences.
Its head, Duncan Amoah said on the Citi Breakfast Show that: “It is likely that by the end of the week, this would be more biting than most of us anticipated.”
“We’ve shelved dealing with their issues for such a very long time. Now it looks as though the chickens have come to roost.”
While he sympathizes with their desire for better working conditions, Mr. Amoah said the government could not compromise on the fuel trackers.
“We already have a situation where some would rather do all kinds of things with the product… that is a necessary evil that ought to be there,” he said.
Source – CNR
