Members of the National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union(NPTDU) are continuing with their sit-down strike despite the government’s effort to resolve matters.
This follows a meeting between the leadership of the union and the Ministry of Roads and Highways on Tuesday, June 27, after the drivers declared an indefinite strike on June 26.
According to the drivers, the strike is a protest over a bad road network affecting their vehicles and operations.
Drivers currently at Tema, Takoradi, Buipe, and Kumasi have parked their tankers due to the directive from management to halt operations till the government fixes the bad roads to facilitate their work.
During the meeting, the ministry assured members of NPTDU that infrastructural works would commence on the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) Kpong Road in Tema.
But the National Vice Chairman of NPTDU, Sunday Alabi, speaking to journalists after the meeting said despite the assurances, the strike continues.
“The strike is still ongoing, and the minister has sent his delegates to come and see how things are. We took them there, and they said they would take the issues back to the minister and schedule a meeting to work on them.
“But for us, we still maintain our stance. Until there is a commitment that their machines will be on the road, we will not go back to work,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) is pushing for a quick resolution of the road concerns raised by the drivers to avert a shortage of petroleum products in the coming days.
The Chief Executive of the Chamber, Dr Patrick Kweku Ofori, warned that fuel movement will be a challenge if the strike is allowed to continue.