Striking fuel industry workers would decide on Monday whether to accept a pay offer which might end a week of industrial action and countrywide fuel shortages.
”We are meeting our constituencies today to get a fresh mandate,” said Keith Jacobs, spokesperson for the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers’ Union.
Talks with employer representatives would then resume at 8pm at the Chamber of Mines building in Johannesburg.
”We are feeling very confident about a settlement,” said Jacobs.
He said he could not discuss the terms of the settlement.
Weekend news reports said employers had increased their initial offer of 7,5% to 8%. Workers had dropped their original demand of 10% to 9,5%.
Meanwhile, the chronic fuel shortages of the weekend were showing signs of easing on Monday with supplies reaching filling stations, unlike at the start of the weekend when pumps run dry because tanker drivers were on strike.
”We are seeing the situation easing,” said South African Petroleum Industries director Connel Ngcukana.
However, with PetroSA and SA Petroleum Refineries closed, the current comfortable stock levels could go down if the pay dispute was not resolved soon.
It would take between three to four days to catch up once labour levels were back to normal, he said. – Sapa