Stabilize Fuel Prices So We Live Within Family Budgets - GPRTU Chairman Cries
National Chairman for Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Mr. Kwame Kumah has issued a clarion call to the Akufo-Addo-led government to help stabilize the current fuel price hike.
He explained that even though the Union cannot fight for transport fare increment based on this recent 0.2 percent increment as it does not meet the 10 percent arrangement with the government, it is only pleading with the government to maintain the current fuel price for a while.
Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' morning show, Mr. Kumah confessed that the recent fuel price increments are making it difficult for them to live within their budgets as they have to top-up to keep up with family demands.
“We cannot fight for transport fare increment with this fuel price hike and that is why we are pleading with the government to help stabilize the recent fuel price increment so that we can also live within our family budgets and also have smooth operations,” he pleaded.
Without blaming the government for the increments in fuel prices, the GPRTU National Chairman accepted that government has to use dollars to trade in the crude oil and so it has no control over the prices of crude oil and the dollar exchange rate.
“We can only plead with the government to do something about it because we all know that we trade in dollars for the crude oil and unfortunately we don’t use dollars as our currency and so the price is bound to go high”, he emphasized.
He again added that the increment of the fuel prices is in two-folds as without the increment, there can be shortage of fuel in the country; thus, the shortage will rather make commercial drivers suffer than the increment of the fuel prices as they are in abundance.
He however welcomed the suggestion that government makes one time increment of fuel price per year; nevertheless, the Union is not in any position to demand the government to increase fuel price once a year as there is an existing arrangement to only increase transport fare when fuel price reaches 10 percent increment.
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