The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) anticipates fuel shortages if the grievances of the striking Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union (GNPTDU) remain unresolved.
The Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union commenced an indefinite sit-down strike on Tuesday, May 21, demanding enhancements in their conditions of service.
The drivers expressed frustrations with existing working conditions and highlighted the urgency of addressing these issues to ensure the uninterrupted flow of petroleum products.
COPEC believes that urgent resolution of the drivers’ concerns is imperative to avert severe repercussions.
The Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, expressed worry about the potential ramifications of the ongoing strike.
He stressed that if the strike persists for 72 hours, consumers may soon face the inconvenience of queuing at fuel pumps in search of the essential product.
“The oil marketing companies cannot get you the products without those tanker drivers, and what that adds to the woes of the Ghanaian is that if that strike is not called off within the next 48 to 72 hours, we may soon have to queue to get fuel because the supply at the various fuel stations is likely to run out,” he said.
Meanwhile, COPEC has warned the public to prepare to pay more for fuel at the pumps in the coming weeks due to the cedi’s depreciation.
The warning comes after some oil marketing companies started increasing pump prices despite projections that they would go down from mid-May.
The companies have blamed the decision to increase the prices on the uncertainties in the exchange rate market.
As of Tuesday, May 21, 2024, one dollar was selling for GH¢15.20 at the forex bureaus.
Mr. Amoah disclosed that even though some of the oil marketing companies are exploring other innovative ways to minimize the impact of the cedi’s depreciation on their operations, the instability is making it difficult to plan.
“Once you have a currency that you can’t predict its performance in the next two to three months, then you are forcing the importers to determine what values to set their pricing,” he concluded.