Cape Town motorists have begun filling-up their petrol tanks fearing a petrol shortage later this week. This comes on the back of news that about 5 000 Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu) members in Cape Town have joined the nationwide industrial action. The main march takes place in Cape Town next week.

Petrol tanker drivers and staff at refineries have joined the metal and engineering workers strike and this could affect fuel supply in the coming weeks.

Approximately 100 strikers protested at Chevron Refinery on Tuesday joining the demand for pay increases of between 11 and 13 percent and a ban on labour brokers.

Industrial action is also currently happening within the pharmaceutical and chemical industries and the new action is set to continue with protests on around 10 sites in the Western Cape ahead next week’s main march.

While it can’t guarantee that there would not be any disruptions to fuel supply, management at Chevron Refinery in Milnerton said all is being done to maintain fuel supply to Caltex garages nationwide in the meantime.

Spokesperson Suzanne Pullinger, explained that contingency plans are in place:

Nothing can be guaranteed. We are doing as much as possible to ensure an adequate supply of fuel products.

Maxwell Dawson, from Elsies River, said he has no choice but to strike:

Everything is going up – food, fuel and the inflation rate but nothing gets done to our wages. How can we cope? We have kids to feed and houses to pay for.

The strike action in Cape Town swells the nationwide industrial action participation figures to around the 70 000 mark, with little end in sight as negotiations continue.

[Source: EWN]