Johannesburg - As fuel prices dropped drastically on Wednesday, some petrol stations were still running dry due to the ongoing strike.
The petrol price dropped 99c with motorists paying R12.35 a litre for unleaded petrol inland and R11.87 at the coast.
As the strike entered its eighth day, it was still unclear if and when worker’s union Ceppwawu and industry representatives would meet.
Head of the bargaining council for Ceppwawu Clement Chitja said that if another meeting between the two parties was to take place, it would be on Friday. Chitja said several petrol companies, including Engen and Total, got court interdicts against striking workers.
About 15 000 workers affiliated to the union downed tools last week, calling for a nine percent wage increase and a one-year agreement. However the employers have offered seven percent increase.
Earlier this week Metrobus initially released a statement that due to the fuel shortage certain bus routes might not run as some of its depots were already running low on fuel supplies. However on Tuesday, Metrobus spokeswoman Esther Dreyer said fuel had been delivered to “all three depots so we will have sufficient fuel to operate a full service for the rest of this week”.
On Monday, the SA Petroleum Industry Association’s chief executive Avhapfani Tshifularo denied there was a crisis as he sought to reassure motorists after some filling stations ran dry. “We would encourage motorists to stick to their normal refuelling patterns,” said Tshifularo. He admitted though that they had experienced difficulties delivering fuel to petrol stations due to acts of intimidation by striking workers, especially in Gauteng.
The Star