7,000 Tanker Drivers to Lose Job to Cylinder Re-Circulation Policy

By Inusa Musah

Gas tanker haulage drivers across the country fear that about 7,000 of their members will be thrown out of job if the Nana Addo's government implements a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder re-circulation policy contract the previous government entered into with Puma Energy Limited.

Per the contract, Puma Energy Limited would be the sole entity to supply LPG gas and cylinders to domestic customers, and anticipating the high rate of unemployment that the development would cause the country, the drivers, clad in red arm and head bands, are calling on President Akufo-Addo to abrogate the contract.

At a press conference in Tema, Shefiu Mohammed, National Chairman of the Gas Tanker Drivers Association, said: "We are giving the government three-days ultimatum to withdraw the Cylinder Re-Circulation Model policy, or face our wrath in the coming days."

The Cylinder Re-Circulation Model policy is scheduled to be effective September 1, 2017, and Shefiu Mohammed said they would roll out a series of actions, including a sit-down strike, to put pressure on the government after Wednesday, 2nd August.

According to him, there is no need for this government to rush to implement such a policy, which would kick thousands of Ghanaians out of work, and, consequently, be disastrous to the government, which got the overwhelming votes from the electorate, especially because it was consistent in campaigning on job creation.

Shefiu said: "If Nana Akufo-Addo listens to us, then we will continue to work, but if he doesn't, we will lay down our tools, and what will follow will be too much for him to bear."

Concluding, he reminded the government of its promise of creating an enabling environment for indigenous companies to grow in order to create jobs, saying: "The government's promise will be defeated if Puma Energy is allowed, as local LPG stations will be forced to close down."

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