Gas stations in Athens and Attica are getting closer and closer to a strike, as the president of the Attica Gas Station Owners – Fuel Traders, Nikos Papageorgiou emphasized on Wednesday.
Speaking on Parapolitika FM, Papageorgiou described the situation in the sector after the government’s decision to a cap on the profit margin last week.
He said that price of unleaded gasoline in Attica is now very close to 2 euros per liter, while on the islands it has already exceeded this limit, significantly burdening consumers and professionals.
He placed particular emphasis on the issue of the cap, pointing out that at current levels it does not allow many gas stations to even cover their operating costs.
He warned, several businesses are inevitably being led to a “padlock”, with the boards of directors of unions across the country having already made decisions on strike mobilizations.
“This is a message to the government that we cannot stand the situation,” Papageorgiou stressed, adding that the wave of reactions is mainly starting from islands and remote areas.
At the same time, he clarified that in the event that there is no immediate agreement with the competent ministry and a clear horizon for the development of the measure, mobilizations are considered as given.
He proposed the readjustment of the ceiling based on a model similar to that which applied during the war in Ukraine, that is, with a reference date.
He explained, the gas stations should maintain the same profit margin they had before the start of the crisis, in order to ensure their viability.
After the cap on profit margin was announced, many commented that the right measure would be a cap on the profit margin of refineries and not on the pump.
