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No need for petrol panic, motorists told

Cape Town - In anticipation of the impact of the strike by petrol attendants, some scared consumers rushed to petrol stations to fill up containers on Sunday.

“Consumers must please not rush to petrol stations to fill up containers,” Gerrie Lewies, national chairperson of the SA Petroleum Retailers Association (Sapra), told Fin24.

“Many of these containers are not SABS approved for petrol and then consumers get angry if we are not allowed to fill them up.”

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Lewies said Sapra and Numsa could not reach an agreement on Friday despite mediation. That has led to a strike by Numsa members in the vehicle services industry that started on Monday.

According to picketing rules, people who are not taking part in the strike are not allowed to be intimidated.

“On Monday morning it seemed that most petrol stations had petrol attendants on duty,” said Lewies.

“The attendants were mostly wearing regular clothes and not uniforms, probably to make them and the public feel safer.”

Attendants who are on strike will not get paid if they do not work.

“Each petrol retailer has his own contingency plan for the strike,” said Lewies.

“Sapra has informed all its members of the rights of the striking attendants. Some retailers might even set the petrol pumps to allow the public to fill up themselves, without using an attendant.”

Lewies emphasised that the public must not be worried that there will be a shortage of petrol.

“Don’t bring along containers to fill with petrol,” he said.

“We think the strike is under control. Yes, we know of petrol stations that are closed and we are aware of the protest marches planned in Cape Town and Johannesburg.”

In terms of the picketing rules, the parties have to get together each day to see if progress can be made in negotiations.

Lewies said the police are not allowed to interfere with the strike as it is a labour relations issue.

However, if matters get out of hand and should people get injured or property damaged, they are allowed to act.

“Petrol retailers are not allowed to call the police to say workers are being intimidated, nor to ask that striking workers be removed,” said Lewies.

“A retailer may, however, regulate the number of people entering his premises.”

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA said on Monday affiliated petrol attendants and car repair workers  would march in Randburg and Cape Town to demand higher wages.

Sapa reported on Monday that the union demanded a R30 per hour increase across the board on actual rates of pay in all sectors and divisions for workers earning above R6 000 per month by 2016, among other things.

- Fin24

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