Malawi Government has threatened to buy its own trucks to start importing fuel if the international truck drivers don’t call off the strike.
Minister of Information Gospel Kazako made the remarks when he was addressing journalists in Lilongwe today on the strike by truck drivers which has led to fuel shortage.
According to Kazako, Government feels the strike is part of sabotage.
He then challenged truck owners that government has the money to buy 500 trucks and import fuel on its own.
Drivers have been on strike since September 27 as they are demanding salary increase, low passport fees and free Covid-19 tests.
Kazako during the press briefing argued the industrial action taken by truck drivers through a strike from operations lacks proper grounds, saying all concerns being raised were already attended to in January when drivers also downed tools.
He said minimum wage for truck drivers as proposed by Truck Drivers Association of Malawi was agreed upon by government and revised upwards to MK140,000, Covid-19 clearance fee for truck drivers which was pegged at MK30,000 was scraped off, and that passport renewal fee was also revised downward from MK120,000 to MK60,000.
The strike by truck drivers has since led to a shortage of fuel across the country as there are difficulties in transporting the fuel to the retail stations.
They got money for buying trucks but they cant reduce prices of fertilizer for the poor people and maize in admac shame