Some 16 , unions have agreed to call off the strike slated for today, Thursday, November11, 2021.
Spokesperson of the Ghana Private Roads and Transport Union (GPRTU), Imoro Abass speaking on the intended strike action indicated that the Unions agreed to put a hold to the strike and await the budget reading which they believe would address their grievances over to the hike in fuel prices.
Mr. Imoro Abass stated that the strike will however happen if their concerns are not addressed after the budget presentation by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
“If the budget is being presented and our grievances are not considered, then Tuesday we are going to embark on our strike. So this is the decision taken”.
Mr. Imoro Abass
He added that the union will meet to decide the way forward since the reading has been rescheduled to Wednesday, November, 17, 2021.
“And I have heard the budget presentation have been shifted to Wednesday and I am not in the position to say we have to shift it to Thursday but tomorrow we have our leadership, all of us, have to meet and consider if we have to wait after Wednesday. Because we are just interested in reducing the fuel prices so that all drivers will work happily so that they [get] something out of the hard days work.”
Mr. Imoro Abass
The GPRTU spokesperson averred that the strike is supposed to give drivers a “breathing space” to their sufferings after the fuel price increment which they have lamented is affecting them.
“We only want the prices of fuel to be reduced so that at the end of a hard day’s work, we can get something home.”
Mr. Imoro Abass
INTENDED STRIKE ACTION
The intended strike was on the basis of some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) increasing the price of fuel by about 10 pesewas. A litre of petrol is currently sold at about GH₵6.90 at most fuel vending stations.
In the midst of the upward adjustments, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) urged drivers not to increase transport fares. According to reports, these developments made drivers agitated and stated their unpreparedness to continue to put up with the high cost of fuel.
Due to this, the sixteen drivers’ unions also made demands for government to scrap some taxes on petroleum products otherwise they would have withdraw their services today, Thursday, November 11, 2021.
According to the unions, they have identified at least five taxes that they believe serves no useful purpose including: the energy debt recovery levy, the Road fund levy, Energy sector levy, Sanitation levy and special petroleum levy.
The unions touching on the initiative by government, since the recent hikes in prices to suspend two levies for the next two months, stated that it is inadequate. This strike suspension comes after an assurance by the GPRTU to the general public that transport operators will not increase fares in spite of the rise in fuel prices.
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