More than 80 percent of the petrol stations throughout Greece had run out of unleaded gas on Tuesday morning, as tanker truck owners entered the second day of an indefinite strike in protest against a draft bill to open up the road freight market, including that of fuel, that is currently served only by state-licenced vehicles. The situation was aggravated on Tuesday as strikers were not allowing private tanker trucks owned by fuel companies to enter refineries. Only the supply of state services, mainly hospitals, was being allowed, while huge queues have formed outside petrol stations that have not yet exhausted their reserves.
Literally adding "fuel to the fire", petrol station owners are threatening to launch their own strike on Wednesday, in protest of a draft law unveiled by the infrastructure, transport and networks ministry reducing the minimum distance allowed between filling stations from the present 200 meters to 50 meters.
The Federation of Petrol Station Owners is due to meet on Tuesday to finalise its position.
Photo: Cars queued up outside a petrol station in Athens. (ANA-MPA/S. Pantzartzi)
28.07.2010
