Cape Town - Motorists have been warned to brace themselves for possible fuel shortages as workers in the petroleum industry embark on a strike from Thursday.
Fazel Ernest, the Western Cape Chemical Energy Paper Printing Wood and Allied Workers Union’s regional co-ordinator, said all petroleum manufacturing employees will be downing tools.
He added that workers would be gathering at the Chevron Refinery offices near Table View at 6am.
Ernest said the strike followed failed wage negotiations with the National Petroleum Employer’s Association.
“We are prepared to push our employers until they see reason and we are hoping this action will bring light to our management,” Ernest said.
The association's deputy chairman, Zimisele Majamane, confirmed they had received notice of the strike.
Clement Chitja, the union’s head of collective bargaining, said: “Due to a number of unresolved demands tabled by the union on behalf of workers at the bargaining council, workers will down tools and picket outside their workplaces.”
Chitja said the workers demand was for a 9 percent increase for one year, but employers had offered 7 percent for this year, and an increase based on theconsumer price index at April next year plus a 1.5 percent improvement factor.
This had been rejected by workers, bringing negotiations, which had started in May, to a halt.
The strike is expected to involve more than 15 000 workers and will affect the transportation of fuel to petrol stations around the country, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern and Western Cape as well as Mpumalanga, said Chitja.
Contingency plans
He said from past experience, it would be about three days before filling stations ran dry. However, Majamane added employers had prepared contingency plans to minimise the impact on consumers.
Chitja said: “All petroleum suppliers will be affected and unfortunately so will motorists.
“A strong message has to be sent to employers. It's not true when they cry broke; what they are doing is withholding money and by doing so, they are stagnating the economy.”
Jan Schoeman, from the South African Fuel Retailers’ Association (Sapra), said the strike included workers in the fuel bulk depots, transfer facilities and the oil refineries and not those at service stations, who fell under a different bargaining council.
Layton Beard of the Automobile Association said: “Motorists need to make provision to ensure their tanks are topped up and they are at least covered for some time.
“Motorists should also try to conserve fuel as far as they possibly can by not making unplanned journeys if they can avoid it and not driving in peak-hour stop and start traffic or use their air conditioner.
“They should keep their windows closed to cut down on the drag to ensure that their vehicles are using less fuel.”
But Chevron South Africa spokeswoman Suzanne Pullinger said: “We have prepared for the possibility of a strike and while nothing can be guaranteed, we will do as much as reasonably possible to ensure the continued supply of fuel products to our customers.”
Chijta said there was no telling when the strike would end.
They had laid their demands on the table including for petroleum employers to comply with amendments to the Labour Relations Act, which stipulate that after three months of employment, all workers should be permanently employed.
Cape Argus