Strike affects fuel deliveries
2009-04-09 12:56
Supply constraints are being experienced in fuel deliveries, Shell South Africa said on Thursday.
This is due to the protected strike currently underway by members of the road freight industry, Shell said in a statement.
"The company has put contingency measures in place to mitigate possible fuel shortages and is closely monitoring the situation to ensure minimal supply disruptions.
"The strike has, however, led to some retail sites experiencing fuel shortages," it said.
As part of its contingency measures, Shell had prioritised deliveries to key sites, including national routes, and was in regular contact with retailers to determine fuel stock levels.
Shell said motorists could call its toll-free number 0800 027 027 or visit www.shell.co.za for details on Shell service stations that had fuel available.
The strike in the road freight industry started on Tuesday and continued on Thursday.
Deal struck?
Earlier, the Road Freight Employers' Association (RFEA) announced it had reached an agreement with the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) on wage issues.
But Satawu was now demanding that the wage agreement be extended to employees not covered by the bargaining council, such as data capturers and administration staff, RFEA spokeswoman Magretia Brown said.
No talks were scheduled for Thursday and the strike would continue "indefinitely", she said.
However, Satawu denied in a statement on Thursday that any agreement had been reached.
"Satawu wishes to clarify media reports suggesting that an agreement had been reached last night with the RFEA on 11% across the board.
"We categorically state that there was no agreement reached or signed by Satawu negotiators," the union maintained.