THE strike by fuel tanker drivers, which caused an acute shortage of fuel in Lusaka, has ended, Minister of Energy and Water Development Dora Siliya and her Labour and Social Security counterpart Fackson Shamenda have said.
Speaking at a joint press briefing with Mr Shamenda in Lusaka yesterday, Ms Siliya said that they had a successful meeting with some oil marketing companies (OMCs) and union leaders representing the drivers.
“I would like to thank the union leaders for the tanker drivers for showing a lot of understanding in dealing with this issue and for them to call off the strike,” Ms Siliya said.
Ms Siliya said the drivers have started loading fuel and that the situation will soon return to normal.
She said that her ministry, working with the ministry of Labour and Social Security, will ensure that the concerns raised by the drivers are amicably resolved through meetings that will be ongoing.
Ms Siliya said the ministry of Labour and Social Security will lead the negotiations to ensure that the conditions of service for the drivers are looked into.
And Mr Shamenda said that the strike by the tanker drivers should be the last one and that they should learn to engage in dialogue.
Zambia Union of Tanker Drivers and Allied workers representative Humphrey Kapesha said the strike had ended and assured the nation that the situation would return to normal by today.
Earlier, Union of Petroleum Drivers and Allied Workers vice president Bob Ndalama said in an interview that his members called off the strike.
Mr Ndalama said the drivers have returned to work though there are some drivers who have ill motives and are still not working.
He urged all tanker drivers not to listen to some of their colleagues who might have hidden motives and involved themselves in an illegal strike.
Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia spokesperson Benson Tembo said his association was opposed to the strike from the beginning.
Mr Tembo said the tanker drivers who were involved in the strike were acting under peer pressure.
Meanwhile, checks in some parts of Lusaka by midday yesterday revealed an acute shortage of fuel but at some service stations, attendants said they expected supplies later in the night.
You should have put ‘temporary’ at the end of the headline because every problem solved by PF is temporal.
I do not agree Spark Jarrow.
They should have put “GLOBAL”at the end because every problem brought by PF is global.
Ok Spark Jarrow and Mpombo, here is the headline: “Fuel tanker drivers strike ends temporally because its global”
Mr Tembo said the tanker drivers who were involved in the strike were acting under peer pressure. There are some bad eggs in the union who feel they have grown wings to cripple the govt and the economy. Relevant security wings should ensure that they are sorted out before Chishimba Kambwili, Mumbi Phiri and Frank Bwalya accuse the UPND of being behind the strikes. We want a clean victory, no disputed penalties etc..
Impressive that most Zambians are rejecting Tribalism from comments above.
Lets not allow politics divide our beautiful country at the expense of selfish, greedy individuals using divide and rule tactics to cling to power at all costs.
The only solution bwana Minister is please revert back to the original status quo where foreign transporters were also transporting fuel on behalf of OMC in the country. Otherwise, this will be a circus coz I know how a Zambian works. Once ibange ngalyamukola ninshi nivundu. Get lead of these local transporters as fuel is not something that we can entrust in these our chamba smoking local drivers
Typical so you’re happy to give jobs to foreigners?
We have heard this before yet nothing has been resolved. ..it’s ironic that a former minister of the previous regime is the one showing these PF how to lead instead of issuingredients useless statements and threats!!
$ idiiot