The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) and the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union have reached an agreement to end a three-day sit-down strike by fuel tanker drivers.

The strike was triggered by concerns over the condition of the parking yard at the BOST Kumasi depot, persistent fuel shortages recorded during offloading and alleged inaccuracies in the depot's measuring meters.

Under the agreement, BOST has committed to immediate measures to address some of the concerns raised by the drivers.

The union executives in Kumasi are expected to coordinate and execute the resurfacing of the AG car park in Kumasi with immediate effect.

BOST has also dispatched a contractor to Kumasi to fix a hanging loading arm, which the drivers said had contributed to delays and inefficiencies in the loading process.

The company has further indicated that a contract has been awarded for the construction of a new car park at the Kumasi depot, with updates expected to be provided as the project progresses.

Meter accuracy concerns

The parties also agreed to engage the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) over concerns about the accuracy of the depot's measuring meters.

The engagement, scheduled for September 2026, will focus on the meter-to-meter error margin, with the parties expected to report on the outcome.

The drivers had previously claimed that internal tests conducted with transporters, the NPA and tanker unions showed discrepancies in the measurements.

They argued that the resulting fuel shortages were being passed on to drivers financially, despite checks they said had found no evidence of fuel siphoning.

Safety concerns

The drivers had also raised concerns about the state of the Kumasi depot's parking facilities.

They said inadequate parking space often forced tanker trucks carrying flammable petroleum products to park on the shoulders of roads, posing risks to other road users.

They also complained that the available BOST parking area was untarred and unsuitable, particularly during rainy periods.

The industrial action had raised concerns about possible disruptions to petroleum product distribution in the Ashanti, Bono, Ahafo and Western North regions.

With the agreement reached, the drivers have suspended the strike, paving the way for normal fuel distribution operations to resume.