The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) says it feels betrayed by the government’s decision to increase the Energy Sector Levy by GH₵1 shortly after commercial drivers were asked to reduce transport fares by 15%.
This comes after the union threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the government does not take action on the levy hike by June 10, 2025.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday June 5, the Industrial Relations Officer of GPRTU, Abass Imoro, expressed disappointment over what he described as a lack of transparency and consultation by the government during negotiations on fare reductions.
He explained that had the union been made aware of the impending fuel levy hike, their approach to the fare reduction would have been different.
“They knew very well that they had this under their sleeves and we sat with them, we engaged them on our 15% reduction and we finally came to a conclusion…It is very painful that they knew very well they had this under their sleeves that they should have informed us that this is what government intends doing so that we would have known how to go about our reduction. It wouldn’t have been as deep as this 15% that we went to,” he said.
Adding “Lo and behold, they came out without any consultation. We are a major player in the fuel industry — the consumption of fuel, we play a lot of role in that. So we think if they had such a thing, they should have engaged us and see if we also have any contributions.”
According to Imoro, the GH₵1 increase on a litre of fuel completely undermines the 15% fare reduction and leaves drivers at a financial disadvantage.
“Looking at the 15% reduction — looking at the GH₵1 on a litre, it can never marry each other,” he stated.
Imoro therefore reiterated that the GPRTU had given the government until June 10 to initiate discussions on the matter or face possible action from the union.
“We have patiently and respectfully given up to 10th of this month — there could be engagement before then or otherwise,” he warned.
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