Refill your petrol tanks as normal, petrol association urges motorists
by Penwell Dlamini
2016-07-29 17:20:32.0
THE South African Petroleum Industry Association (Saipa) has advised motorists to keep to their normal refuelling patterns, despite some filling stations having already run out of petrol.
Friday was the second day of the Chemical‚ Energy‚ Paper‚ Printing‚ Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu) strike, and various parts of the country were starting to run out of fuel.
Saipa executive director Avhapfani Tshifularo said: "Sapia members have confirmed that refining‚ transportation and storage activities are continuing and individual confidential contingency plans have been activated to mitigate any impact of Ceppwawu’s strike action on oil companies’ customers."
The statement further read: "Motorists are advised to stick to their normal refuelling patterns to assist the petroleum industry to ensure security of supply."
Thousands of Ceppwawu members have downed tools in the petroleum sector after the union failed to reach an agreement with its employers‚ the National Petroleum Employers Association. Ceppwawu is demanding a 9% wage increase while the employer’s offer is 7%. The union also wants a one-year agreement but the employers are pushing for a multiyear agreement.
A number of filling stations reported running out of fuel on Friday.
"We have fuel at the moment but in about an hour we are going to run out of it‚" one filling station on Alice Street‚ in Durban, said.
A garage in Hammanskraal‚ Tshwane‚ said the same: "We are doing fine at the moment but if we do not get refilling tonight we will not be able to cope. The truck drivers have told me that they are unable to refill so we don’t know what will happen."
But other fuel retailers had better management processes.
"We’ve seen these types of things before and we have made plans. We are full to capacity and we have enough to last us three-and-a-half weeks‚" said a retailer in Klerksdorp‚ North West.
TMG Digital
A worker at state-owned Pertamina, the country's main retailer of subsidised fuel, fills a vehicle at a petrol station in Jakarta. Picture: REUTERS
THE South African Petroleum Industry Association (Saipa) has advised motorists to keep to their normal refuelling patterns, despite some filling stations having already run out of petrol.
Friday was the second day of the Chemical‚ Energy‚ Paper‚ Printing‚ Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu) strike, and various parts of the country were starting to run out of fuel.
Saipa executive director Avhapfani Tshifularo said: "Sapia members have confirmed that refining‚ transportation and storage activities are continuing and individual confidential contingency plans have been activated to mitigate any impact of Ceppwawu’s strike action on oil companies’ customers."
The statement further read: "Motorists are advised to stick to their normal refuelling patterns to assist the petroleum industry to ensure security of supply."
Thousands of Ceppwawu members have downed tools in the petroleum sector after the union failed to reach an agreement with its employers‚ the National Petroleum Employers Association. Ceppwawu is demanding a 9% wage increase while the employer’s offer is 7%. The union also wants a one-year agreement but the employers are pushing for a multiyear agreement.
A number of filling stations reported running out of fuel on Friday.
"We have fuel at the moment but in about an hour we are going to run out of it‚" one filling station on Alice Street‚ in Durban, said.
A garage in Hammanskraal‚ Tshwane‚ said the same: "We are doing fine at the moment but if we do not get refilling tonight we will not be able to cope. The truck drivers have told me that they are unable to refill so we don’t know what will happen."
But other fuel retailers had better management processes.
"We’ve seen these types of things before and we have made plans. We are full to capacity and we have enough to last us three-and-a-half weeks‚" said a retailer in Klerksdorp‚ North West.
TMG Digital
