The prospect of a strike by gas station owners in Greece has been allegedly averted after a meeting they had with Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos on Thursday morning.
The two sides have reached an agreement with the two federations representing retail fuel sellers that makes the prospect of strike action less likely.
The agreement includes financial support of petrol station owners with a 3,000-euro voucher for upgrading their inflow-outflow monitoring systems and a promise that the cap on profit margins for unleaded petrol and diesel will end on June 30, as stipulated in the relevant legislative act.
“In the midst of a global crisis caused by the military conflict in the wider region of the Middle East, we took certain emergency measures to deal with possible instances of profiteering. These measures concern diesel and unleaded petrol. I want to note that, from the inspections carried out by the independent authority so far, phenomena of violation of the profit margin are almost nil,” Theodorikakos said, announcing the agreement.
He said this indicated a responsible attitude that was essential for facing the current crisis and stressed that the cap on profits will be temporary and will end on June 30 as planned.
The heads of the federations, though worried about the impact of the cap on profits on their members, ruled out the chance of strike action after their discussion with the minister and said they would relay the explanations and assurances given to their members.
Yesterday, Wednesday, gas stations warned with strike actions due to the cap on the profit margin.
