The Gas Tanker Drivers Association says its members who laid down their tools two weeks ago have returned to work following an assurance from the National Petroleum Authority to address their concerns.
The Association on March 4 declared its intention to suspend the transporting of Gas to LPG outlets across the country.
The industrial action was to push the government to lift the ban on the establishment of new LPG stations following the Atomic Junction explosion in 2017 that claimed lives and destroyed properties.
According to government, the ban was to sanitize the space and also ensure that the required protocols are followed through.
Speaking to Citi News, the Chairman for the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association, George Nyaunu says the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has assured its members of working to lift the ban on the opening of new LPG outlets.
“We met the executives of NPA, and we put our challenges before them, so they quickly addressed our concerns. Right now, they have given orders that the filling stations with their genuine documents should submit them to NPA. They have started working on it and work is ongoing to transport the products from the depot to the various destinations. The issues have been addressed, so why do we still embark on the strike. So, as I speak, work has resumed.”
The government, after the Atomic Gas explosion in 2017, placed a ban on new LPG retail points to allow for proper assessment of all LPG outlets nationwide.
LPG marketers subsequently petitioned the government and the National Petroleum Authority over the issue.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, shortly after the Atomic Junction Gas explosion in 2017, directed the implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Module.
This meant that gas cylinders will no longer be filled up at gas retail outlets, but cylinders would be bought from distributors already filled when they go empty.
Apart from concerns over the loss of jobs, the Ghana LPG Operators Association has constantly complained that proper stakeholder consultations were not carried out as they were not engaged on the policy.