The Director of Industrial Relations at GPRTU, Alhaji Abass Imoro, has intimated that by next week, if government does not attend to the hike in fuel prices, commercial transport operators will increase their transport fares.
Reacting to the current increment of petroleum products, Alhaji Abass Imoro averred that the decision has come about due to the unexpected rise in the price of fuel as against the former increment last month. He indicated that the recent pricing has moved higher than it should be and has left the commercial drivers with no option.
“If by Monday government does not reduced the fuel prices as we expected, then we shall within that week immediately come out with something. So, let’s wait between today Thursday, Friday and over the weekend and see if government will listen and reduce the petrol prices for us. But if not, we have no choice than to increase fares.”
Alhaji Abass Imoro
The Director of Industrial Relations posited that drivers are into commercial business and as such must work and make profit off their trips. He posited that the GPRTU in its last engagement with government suggested that since crude oil is being controlled by OPEC and has also created some taxes, margins and levies, government must scrap some of its taxes and levies locally; however, government didn’t heed to this call.
Upward adjustment must come on
According to Alhaji Abass Imoro, the GPRTU decided to further “wait and see” if government will listen to its calls for the petroleum taxes to be scrapped but there still hasn’t been any feedback. He iterated that the Union will definitely have to come up with an upward adjustment no matter what the percentage will be. “Nobody will buy something 3 cedis and sell it at 2 cedis. You have no business doing that.”
“We are waiting within this two-three days if government will listen to the NPA. I acknowledge the NPA’s recommendation suggesting a decrease in fuel prices but when we were making recommendations, the NPA, where were they?”
Alhaji Abass Imoro
Abass Imoro added that the fare increment comes with other components and as such the Union will have to sit and consider all the other components before coming out with the fares. He revealed that previously, the union was going by the 25 percent threshold of fuel price increment but has now stopped. “We are going by a 10 percent threshold of fuel price increment”. He stated that the Union wants the price build-up to be reduced so all transport operators can come on board in the next increment.
The GPRTU three weeks ago increased the transport fares by 15 percent due to the rise in fuel prices in the country. The union thereafter warned of another fare increment should the fuel prices rise again. The recent transport fares took effect on Saturday, February 26, 2022 and due to the escalating fuel prices in Ghana, transport operators suggest they have no option than to review fares upward again from Monday.
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