On Wednesday afternoon traffic was jammed in several arterial roads after reports that petrol stations might go on strike unless commission on fuel sales is increased.
Tens of drivers queued up to refuel their vehicles at petrol stations around the Maltese islands to make sure they wouldn’t run low on fuel should the strike come into force.
Commission on fuel sales has not increased in the past three years. Presently the commission petrol station owners receive for the sale of one litre of fuel stands at Lm0.01,97.
The owners are calling for the commission to increase to Lm0.03,4.
The Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) petrol station owners representative Carlo Cini told l-orizzont that last January Enemalta Corporation was called on to increase the commission, however no reply with regards to the issue was received.
The newspaper further reported that on Friday the GRTU contacted the Corporation again and was informed that it had not been given a reply because Enemalta was awaiting the permission of the Malta Resources Authority.
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the EneMalta Corporation said that increasing profits for petrol station owners would mean permanently increasing the price of petrol products for consumers.
The Corporation further said that in the context of liberalising the market, it cannot conclude an agreement with the petrol statuon owners before it it convinced that the costs they say they are incurring are real.
Enemalta said it wrote to the GRTU offering to ask an auditor to verify the petrol station owners request for an increase in commission on basis of petrol distribution, however it added that the Chamber ignored the offer.
