Gas distributers are fearing for their livelihood and appealed to the Prime Minister to understand their situation.

The GRTU committee representing the distributers this morning stood outside the PN Paola club where Dr Gonzi had a dialogue meeting.

In a statement this evening, the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, GRTU, which represents the distributors said that there was a legal contract which bound Enemalta (now Liquigas) and the Malta Resources Authority to have individual distributors in each territory.

This was a PN political promise which benefitted the consumer as it was ultimately more cost effective.

The GRTU said it was not true that the government was obliged to liberalise retailing in Malta's small localities and there were enough arguments for the multiflag system, through which distributors loaded cylinders from the different providers, to work well.

It was always consumers who suffered when there was confusion and the GRTU was convinced that the confusion was created because of the confusion which existed between the government's different authorities, which led to stupid decisions being taken.

Consumers were made to suffer a price increase of between €5.40 and €16.50.

The GRTU believed that the government was dragging its feet because it feared the major operator, who seemed to have the strength to dictate.

The GRTU appealed to the Prime Minister because it believed this issue would turn into another Arriva - haste, unnecessary expenditure to create a system that worked for 50 years and which could become more efficient to impose a new system which would not work.

It would create delays and prices would have to be increased to cover new expenses.