Fuel shortages will continue on Sunday as talks to resolve a pay strike deadlocked on Saturday night.
The Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers’ Union (Ceppwawu) and the National Petroleum Employers’ Association resumed talks with the bargaining council at the Chamber of Mines in Johannesburg at 10am on Sunday.
Ceppwawu spokesperson Keith Jacobs said he could not reveal the details of the negotiations — which went on until around 10pm on Saturday.
Jacobs said ”first prize” would be a 9,5% increase but a national bottom-line of 8,5%had been established.
The employer is offering a 7,5% increase.
Panic buying
Meanwhile, oil companies felt the effects of the strike on their distribution and supply capacities.
Engen spokeswoman Tonia Landsberg said that fuel distribution remained a problem and that panic buying was also affecting the availability of fuel.
”Distribution is still problematic although we’ve brought in contractors. We are slowly making progress with the help of the contractors.
”Panic buying has an impact on distribution … it is making the situation difficult. We hope that the union and the bargaining council come to a timely resolution,” she said.
BP spokesperson Zipporah Mathoa said the situation had not changed on Sunday.
”Things have not changed much, our contractors are still hard at work in delivering fuel to the different service stations,” she said.
On Saturday Shell spokesperson Dennis Matsane said the hotspot for fuel shortages had been Gauteng.
Jacobs said last week that the strike — which began last Monday — would continue until the unions (Ceppwawu and the General Industrial Workers Union of South Africa) reached a settlement with the employer.
Ceppwawu represents about 4 000 people in the petroleum sector, he said. – Sapa