An appeal has been made to government to develop permanent solutions to keep the fuel price affordable.

The United Associations of South Africa (Uasa) notes that the price increases due to international affairs and locally enforced levies, affect the lives of workers on all levels. It adds that it causes a constant knock-on effect on the prices of consumer goods and transport while salary increases are barely worth mentioning.

Workers are said to be falling behind with their finances as a result.

It comes as households and motorists have been hit with another fuel hike. Petrol has gone up by 36 cents a litre while diesel climbed to R1.69. This despite government’s attempt to cushion the blow by reducing the general fuel by R1,50 cents a litre for two months.

But the biggest shock is for the poor as Illuminating paraffin increased by R2.66 a litre. It means at an average use of two litres of paraffin a day this group will now have to fork out an extra R164 per month to eat cooked food and keep warm.

Labour union Uasa says for the unemployed this is disastrous. The price of LP gas also rose by R2,50 cents a litre.