GRTU shocked by fuel prices, considers action

Stephan Camilleri

Jun 25th 2008, 16:22

If the GRTU wants to take action,it should go to wall street, not blame the maltese goverment for the high fuel prizes.

Kamal Awad

Jun 24th 2008, 22:41

Just to defuse the tension (smile)

Wife: will you take me out for a posh spot honey?
Husband: Sure darling, next week end we will go together to a petrol station.

(French joke)

M Briffa

Jun 24th 2008, 18:12

Comsumers and exporters of fuel met a few days ago to discuss the daily high priceing of fuel.In Malta we want fuel prices not to rise. The solution is that Government reduce the duty on fuel.And the deficit will start rising again because of this subsidy. A brilliant solution indeed. If the Government has a reduction in it's income will HEALT AND EDUCATION be still free? I will be gratefull if GRTU and GWU answers this simple question.

E.Brooks

Jun 24th 2008, 13:32

Right, the best thing really to do is go for a walk.. Malta is very small and easy to walk around over in that small island unless your in a hurry and more than 5 miles a distance well thats the time you can use your car..Thats good as well for your health, walking you know and a lots of people as well in that country are big and fat ...so.. thats best to THINK ABOUT IT..It save your money and keep your fit too.

eric saliba

Jun 24th 2008, 12:02

@ a daley.
thank you for reminding the gonzipn apologists what they instigated during labour administrations. they thought we had forgotten. well we haven't !!

H Farrugia

Jun 24th 2008, 08:09

Are the GRTU and the GWU living in dreams? Do they not know what is happening in Italy our neighbouring country and in all other countries for this matter? Don't they know WHO is raising the oil prices sky high and YET THEY POINT THEIR FINGERS ON THE GOVERNMENTS. These 'economists' want our government to reduce the duty on oil products so that they can continue to live in style using their petrol guzzling vehicles, etc. And who will pay for the deficit? US the Maltese tax paying public. Oh no we will have none of it. The government is doing its best to face this oil crisis and Yes have to accept all the consequences that this brings with it. Malta will never accept political strikes to bring down the government as one correspondent has written. This will never be allowed. We have to face facts not political bias.

A Daley

Jun 23rd 2008, 20:03

During the recession of the early eighties when the workers in Europe were protesting in the streets for higher wages (remember UK? and the French in Paris), one remembers the good heart of EFA in them days. See if you remember these exact words:-

"Jekk lill gvern niqfulu il-hin kollu, dejjem u f'kollox, jirrizenja jkollu"

Is this what we should be doing now, Charles Camilleri, cause in them days we had strikes as well, but not by the GWU, but other Unions affiliated with the PN? In actual fact PN started these disruptions as from 1978. Meeting after meeting, non stop.

Lest we not forget, but we did forgive.

Maria Dolores Fenech

Jun 23rd 2008, 19:55

@ Charles Camilleri
You either do as the govt dictates or else strike and loose your job!
Is histroy repeating itself? Are we living in the 80's again, the difference being that instead of Mintoff we have GonziPN in power?

Joseph E Briffa

Jun 23rd 2008, 19:21

It's easy for Enemalta to reduce the tax on fuel, but then wouldn't this bring in its wake a corresponding increase in the rates of other forms of energy like electricity? Which one would hurt less, the increase in the price of diesel, petrol etc or an increase in the electricity and water rates? I for one would rather pay more on petrol or diesel rather than on electricity & water. The increase in the price of diesel will obviously be reflected in higher prices of food, merchandise, medicines, family doctors' fees, building materials etc due to higher transportation costs, albeit distances in Malta are very small. One can curtail distances covered by cars over the weekends , but there is a limit to the saving one can make on the use of water and electricity. Until such time as we start using other forms of energy like wind power and making greater use of solar energy we will definitely keep feeling the pinch if we keeping relying on fossil fuels to generate our electricity, a sizeable chunk of which goes to desalinate our water.

JOe Gatt

Jun 23rd 2008, 18:10

Cutting fuel tax when international oil prices are rising amounts to a subsidy on energy. That is just about the worst -- and most stupid --policy a govenment could adopt. Subsidies keep demand and our energy imports artificially high.

High prices are painful, but they stimulate economy and efficiency in the the use of energy -- in the process also benefit the envirnonment.

Joe Chetcuti

Jun 23rd 2008, 18:04

I think that the GRTU must be living in the moon, Oil prices have more than doubled over the last 12 montths yet fuel in Malta has gone up by a much lower margin. I too would prefer no increases in fuel and also for that matter on all food products, but since this situation is a World wide problem and is evident almost daily on international news, the last thing I would have expected is for the GRTU to be shocked. Positve suggestions please.

Charles Camilleri

Jun 23rd 2008, 16:41

Anthony A Mifsud, Ask the GWU what solutions did general strikes brought to the workers in the past. One thing we know for certain that all strikers went home with less pay and many lost their jobs. Is this what you want Anthony. The fuel crisis is hitting the whole world and we are no exception. Whether we like it or not we have to live with it. This proves one thing for sure; that what A. Sant promised before the election to cut the surcharge by half was a gimmick to get more votes.

A Daley

Jun 23rd 2008, 15:10

One takes pity on people like john borg for two reasons.

The first one is because he is conveniently forgetting that Gonzi had been saying that the economy is strong, so there are no problems to reduce tax on fuel because the Government is actually racking it with the higher cost of fuel.

The second reason is that people remember PN’s attacks on Labour Governments, especially those of the early 70s, when oil prices doubled overnight, and ALL of Europe had to ration petrol for 6 months. Malta was the only country where we did not have rationing. Zid il-pagi was the cry, and that was when we were getting £m3.5 (£m5.75 today), increases a week to get us out of the 60s misery under Borg Olivier. Issa ghandek flus minghand l-Inglizi, mela zid izjed. Remember? So now that we have miserable salaries when compared with the rest of Europe, we expect ZIDIET WKOLL. Issa ma ghandekx il-flus ta' l-EU. Ha ha haj! Mhux hekk!

So far, after the election there is only one thing apparent. DEJN KULL FEJN THARES! We are in for a very miserable time. Doom and gloom. Ehh dawk il-par idejn sodi x'ghamlulna!

Anthony A. Mifsud

Jun 23rd 2008, 14:43

Sur Vincent Farrugia,
All you have to do is call a General Strike, and then we will see the Govt moving.

Toni

Kamal Awad

Jun 23rd 2008, 14:30

Governments do not produce money but manage money collected from taxes. Reducing the latter would lead to a lower standard in all government -related services such as health, education…etc.

Lower taxes on ‘fuel’ may mitigate the situation for short period but eventually will lead to un-manageable disasters as long as our life style is fully depending on fuel. Until a solution is found, every body should manage own position.
This is not because of Brussels. THIS IS A ‘MAN-MADE’ GLOBAL ISSUE controlled by some culprits (NOT THE PRODUCERS OF OIL!). Citizens from OPEC member states still feel the pinch but in food prices and other items .

The worst yet to come. Here I quote a paragraph of Mr. Barroso' s speech of last week. ("There are people who are really suffering and having trouble paying their fuel bills and buying food," he continued, telling reporters that the union of 27 member states was witnessing for the first time "a new kind of poverty in Europe".)

Sandy Micallef

Jun 23rd 2008, 14:20

@ John Borg....the answer is very easy. Governement ought to use taxpayers money more wisely. All those govt officials and ministers who are not using their budgets efficiently ought to be brought to justice. Millions of euros are 'wasted' within the public service as a result of poor management or simply hard-headedness and pride of a few at the top!

john borg

Jun 23rd 2008, 13:07

So Vince Farrugia is insisting that Government should reduce the duty on fuel. So far so good. But then that would mean that the Government - you and I - will also have its income reduce. Can Vince Farrugia now suggest how Government can make good for this reduction?

Anthony Mercieca

Jun 23rd 2008, 12:53

Imagine the fuel section has been in private hands, and like every business entity, and in line to GRTU claims, the trader would request a margin of profit. Such was experienced with the gas distributors and petrol stations.

NOW the GRTU is shocked as if the reason for the increase was the government!!!

As a Union the GRTU should come to age and address the problem more professionally.

Angelo Desira

Jun 23rd 2008, 12:52

It is the responsability of the goverment to reduce the duty on the fuel prices. With the increase of fuel prices this can effect the economy of our country, especially those who are in the middle and lower class.Last few days i read that from 20 euros of fuel a 9.50 euros are duty.This is too much for our middle and lower class people