Motorists fill up just in case
General meeting called for middle of next week
Media reports on a dispute between Enemalta and petrol station owners over commissions paid to them led to many motorists filling up just in case, yesterday.
Long queues could be seen at many petrol stations all over the island throughout the day and some stations also reported running out of fuel.
The Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU, which represents petrol station owners, said it would be calling a general meeting for the owners in the middle of next week to decide what action to take.
A committee meeting was held yesterday afternoon to prepare the agenda, Carlo Cini, the petrol station owners' representative, said. He was yesterday quoted by l-orizzont as saying it was "very likely" they would decide to strike.
Enemalta said that, within the context of the liberalisation of the market, it could not reach an agreement with petrol station owners on their request to raise their commission without first verifying the expenses they claim to be incurring. The request to raise the profit margin by 3.4 mils per litre would mean a permanent increase in the cost of the product, which would be paid by the consumer, Enemalta said.
If a litre of petrol costs 45.6c, and a litre of diesel costs 39.3c, the value of Lm5 of fuel in a tank would increase by another 4c, the corporation calculated.
Enemalta said it did not feel it had a satisfactory justification to raise the prices, which were, ultimately, paid by consumers.
It said it had offered to appoint an auditor to verify the financial basis of the GRTU's request.
Among other things, the verification report would have to confirm that the expenses, claimed by the GRTU on behalf of the petrol station owners, only concerned the distribution of petrol and did not cover costs related to other commercial activities carried out at petrol stations. Enemalta said the GRTU had, so far, ignored the offer. It accused the GRTU of embarking on a resistance campaign aimed at hurting the consumer.
Enemalta said it could not allow a situation whereby decisions on prices that consumers had to pay would be taken in reaction to threats. It repeated its original offer to the GRTU to have the petrol station owners' claimed expenses verified by an independent auditor.