
Audio By Carbonatix
Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Okada Riders' Association, Solomon Akpanaba, has said that the group is not planning to embark on any strike despite the recent hikes in fuel prices.
In an interview on Prime Morning on Thursday, Mr Akpanaba explained that since "government is not increasing fuel prices illegitimately," they will continue to undertake their regular activities.
"I want to state emphatically that we have no intention to embark on any strike. We sympathise with the government and we support government in whatever government is doing. We are focused and we fight a battle at a time."
Currently, some Oil Marketing Companies (OMC) have increased the prices of fuel by about 10 pesewas. A litre of petrol is currently being sold at about GHC6.90 at most fuel vending stations.
Early this week, sixteen driver unions threatened to embark on a strike on Thursday, November 11, if government does not heed their call to scrap the levies on petroleum products.
After a negotiation with the Transport Ministry, the strike has been postponed to November 16, after the 2022 budget reading.
However, the 'okada' riders say the commercial drivers are being hypocritical for asking them to join the protest against the fuel prices.
"In this country, just last year, the commercial drivers' Associations were on record to have said that the government should not regularise okada. They said they want to stand by the side of the law; today, we also want to stand by the side of the law."
"We are a group of people that always come to the frustrated Ghanaians any time there is a crisis. If they go on strike, we will work. We will carry the passengers wherever they want to go and we would ride safer and we will charge lesser," Solomon Akpanaba told Benjamin Akakpo.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has urged drivers not to increase lorry fares.
Government has since the recent hikes in prices announced the suspension of two levies for the next two months, but the unions say this is inadequate.
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