The three main unions of Italian service station managers begin a 48-hour strike on Tuesday night to protest against the government, which accuses them of being partly responsible for the rise in fuel prices.
However, one of the three unions decided to reduce the duration of the strike to 24 hours.
However, a minimum service will be provided, guaranteed by law. Italy has about 22,000 gas stations, according to Assopetroli Assoenergia, the association representing companies that own more than half of Italy’s gas stations.
The confrontation between those responsible for the service stations and the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni began on January 1, when the Executive put an end to the reduction of excise taxes (indirect taxes) on fuels, launched to reduce the impact of the increase to consumers and which expired on December 31st.
mechanical price increase
The end of this measure caused a mechanical increase in prices at the pump, which the government tried to pass off as speculation by service station managers, thus giving rise to their strike movement, which they maintained despite a partial setback in the price. government.
The Italian media had pointed out at the beginning of January that the increase in prices at the pump corresponded well, to the penny, to the restoration of excise duties.
In January, the Government adopted a decree-law entitled “Transparency” which establishes for service stations the obligation to display on a panel, in addition to their prices, the average prices charged in their area, as well as fines of up to 6,000 euros for those who do not respect this rule, subsequently reducing its amount to 800 euros.
“Injustice”
“The distribution sector (of fuels, editor’s note) mobilizes against the unfair stigmatization of companies, accused despite quantified evidence of speculating on gasoline prices at the expense of consumers,” denounced Assopetroli Assoenergia.
“This accusation has been shown to be unfounded, figures in hand, when reading the databases of the competent ministries. The measures introduced by the ‘Transparency’ decree therefore represent a false solution to a problem that does not exist”, adds the association.
It also points out that the installation of additional panels in the network of service stations would cost around 400 million euros, a cost that would later be passed on to the final consumer.
Source: BFM TV
