Petroleum industry wants workers declared essential services

The petroleum industry wants to be declared an essential service.

Representations were made to the essential services committee.

The industry employs over 70,000 workers.

South African Petroleum Industry Association said it must wait until next month for an update on its bid.

“I think the decision to investigate lies with the essential services committee so all we did was to make representations to the committee and essentially demonstrating the case why the production, transporting, and distribution of fuel is an essential service,” said the association’s executive director, Avhapfani Tshifularo.

Meanwhile, unions also said the move to declare the workers as essential will inhibit employees from striking out.

“Why we are saying we are opposed to the application, is that if the petroleum industry succeeds with this application then it means workers will not be able to strike and the right to strike is a fundamental right,” said Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola.