Uganda Government News: Workers appeal to government over fuel crisis
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First published: 20090103 8:07:22 AM EST
Ultimate Media
Workers under their umbrella organizations, National Organization of Trade Unions have appealed to the government of Uganda to intervene in the fuel market to stop an already bad situation from getting worse.
NOTU says many workers and other Ugandans are reeling from the bad effects of escalating fuel prices which have got worse in recent days.
NOTU Chairman General Wilson Owere says trade unions have petitioned the government through the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Daudi Migereko over the matter.
Owere says apart from increasing the cost of transport, commodity prices are bound to keep increasing if fuel prices continue on the rising trend.
He says workers are concerned that if the government does not intervene, the situation will get worse and make most commodities unaffordable.
Prices of petrol have skyrocketed to between 5,000 and 10,000 in many parts of the country. The Minister however blames the high prices on greedy businesspeople who are hording petrol and selling it expensively on the black market.
Migereko says the government will not intervene to set fuel prices. He says the increase in fuel prices is due to factors beyond the government’s control. The minister says diesel is readily available on the market, but petrol is the one which is scarce due to delays by ships which bring fuel from gulf countries, and the ongoing repairs on Kenyan oil pipeline. He says petrol will soon be available in Uganda and the prices will go down.
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