Fuel still flows in Bay despite strike threat

FUEL still flowed freely at the pumps and from Port Elizabeth’s fuel depots yesterday as an anticipated petroleum and allied industries strike failed to take hold in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.

This follows the start of a strike, reportedly by about 20 000 members of the SA Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu), late last week.

Some members of Ceppwawu, which demands a 9% pay increase and an R8 000 a month minimum basic salary, are employed at refineries and fuel depots around the country.

This had sparked fears of fuel shortages if deliveries to filling stations were interrupted or halted.

Besides minor incidents of panic buying in Port Elizabeth and a small strike action at a fuel depot in East London last week, the strike has not yet had any affect on the fuel business in the Bay, or the Eastern Cape as a whole.

All filling stations visited by a Herald team were wellstocked yesterday and spokesmen said they had experienced no difficulties with fuel supplies or any unusual customer queues.

In addition, fuel had been delivered to a number of filling stations in the metro yesterday and ahead of Wednesday’s anticipated significant reduction in fuel prices.

The petrol price will drop by 99 cents a litre on Wednesday, while the price of diesel will drop by between 73c and 74c a litre. The price of illuminating paraffin will decrease by 88c a litre.

Fuel shortages due to the strike action have mostly been experienced in Pretoria and the rest of Gauteng.