The GRTU said this evening that claims by the Consumers' Association that petrol station owners were acting like a cartel in their claims for a higher commission were unethical and ridiculous.
The GRTU is representing the petrol station owners in talks with the government and Enemalta.
The GRTU insisted that the right of association in Malta is guaranteed by the Maltese Constitution and the government and the state could not be expected to treat owners of businesses as inferior citizens of Malta.
Furthermore, associations of undertakings were recognised by the competition laws and Consumers` Associations could not expect to deny to others what they themselves enjoyed as a right at law.
On the issue of fuel prices and petrol stations upgrading, the GRTU said it had consistently abided by competition rules and by the decisions of the Malta Resources Authority (MRA).
The MRA had decided on a programme of investments that needed to be implemented by petrol station owners so that, in pursuit of higher standards to consumers and to the environment in general, all petrol stations in Malta and Gozo attained EU approved standards.
This involved a massive €26m investment.
"There is no way that this investment can be sustained without a restructuring of the whole structure of cost within the whole fuel distribution chain. This involves a review of costs by Enemalta and petrol station owners and a final decision by the MRA as to what prices will be made available to consumers," the GRTU said.
In this process, it said, the MRA was representing the interests of users and consumers, Enemalta was the only supplier of petrol and the major supplier of diesel to all petrol stations and the GRTU was the representative of all petrol station owners
"All three parties are interested in ensuring that our country will have the highest quality where petrol stations financed and operated at the cost of the private petrol station owners, a profitable Enemalta operation that operates on commercial lines and the maximum protection of users and consumers in the competitive structure of the market which is the responsibility of the MRA, the GRTU said.