Buipe fuel tanker drivers declare indefinite sit-down strike
The Fuel Tanker Drivers Association at the Buipe depot in the Savannah Region has laid down their tools indefinitely to protest what they say is the refusal of the management of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST) to fix malfunctioning loading meters at the station.
The agitated drivers defied a plea from management to resume operation.
The drivers have vowed not to return to work until their grievances are addressed by the management of the depot.
They say they have been short-changed for over a decade, since the loading meter equipment at the depot was not functioning properly.
According to the drivers, the loading meters at the Buipe depot do not give accurate figures as numbers generated from the device do not tally with the amount of money paid for the fuel.
The aggrieved drivers lamented that some of the fuel tanker owners refuse to pay them their salaries, as a result of debts they pay to fuel station owners due to the shortages.
They have accused BOST of a calculated attempt to extort from them at the depot.
A member of the association, Yuma Joseph, said all efforts to get management of BOST to rectify the issue have fallen on deaf ears.
“The loading meters aren’t consistent and do not give accurate figures or measurement, thereby creating problems at the delivering point. After loading at the depot, you only get the products not up to what you are expected to get. That is the cause of our strike today.
“We are telling the authorities responsible to come and fix the meters so that we can go in to start our normal operations without being cheated. These meters broke down over a decade[ago], but it has been only promises. We are not seeing results,” he said on Starr FM.
The Buipe Depot is the central holding point of BOST, which serves the Northern part of Ghana. It receives products through river barges via the Volta Lake, and through bulk road vehicles (BVR) loaded from Accra plains depot of BOST.
The sit-down strike if not called off is likely to affect fuel supply in the northern part of the country.
Meanwhile, the management of BOST is yet to comment on the matter.