GPRTU urges drivers to remain calm over fuel price hike

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) in the Upper West Region has called on drivers to exercise restraint over the recent fuel price increase as their leadership work to find an amicable solution.

The Union said frequent fuel price hikes was bringing untold hardship on transport operators and drivers alike who found it difficult to meet their daily sales to transport owners.

Alhaji Nuhu Mahama, the Senior Industrial Relations Officer (SIRO) of (GPRTU) in the Region, who was speaking to Ghana News Agency, urged government to take pragmatic steps that would bring some relief to petroleum consumers.

According to him the drivers in the Region last weekend complained bitterly about the petroleum price increases and mounted pressure on GPRTU leadership to raise transport fares because the prevailing prices did not allow them to make their regular sales to vehicle owners.

Alhaji Nuhu said GPRTU was negotiating with the Ministry of Transport on the matter and called on the irate drivers to stay calm while the leadership concludes discussions with state officials.

Fuel price across various marketing companies in the country shot up by around two per cent margin, which the National Petroleum Authority attributed to hikes in world market price of crude and weaknesses of the cedi against the dollar and other currencies.