FUEL SHORTAGE A BLOW ON GROWTH AGENDA – UNION

By SANFROSSA MANYINDA
HE artificial shortage of fuel in some parts of the country will create uncertainty in the local economy, the National Union of Building, Engineering and General Workers (NUBEGW) has said.
According to NUBEGW), the situation would make planning difficult, especially now that the country was heading towards the rainy season.
The shortage of fuel has hit the Copperbelt, Eastern, Livingstone and other parts of the country after truck driver staged a work stoppage on Tuesday.
NUBEGW General Secretary, Bryson Nyirenda, said some furnaces were propelled by diesel and petrol, stating that the shortage would definitely slow the works down.
Mr Nyirenda was speaking in an interview in Kitwe yesterday.
He said the industry could not run without fuel and that all the sectors would not operate well because of the shortage.
“Government needs to move in quickly and ensure that it visits petroleum companies and check the stock levels,” he said. Mr Nyirenda observed that the shortage of petrol after resuming operations in the new normal was unfortunate as most businesses had been caught unaware.