The strike by Hellenic Petroleum employees in Greece caused unnecessary panic, which lasted not more than 24 hours but caused long queues at petrol stations. GRReporter investigation earlier today showed that even if the strike continued there would be no problems with the supply of petrol.
"There is no cause for concern. Only one unit of the refinery is on strike and there are others in the region. People do not have to queue up because Athens will not run dry of petrol," said the President of the union of petrol station owners, Michalis Kiuosis. He stressed that only about 30% of the stations in the Attica region are dependent on the supply of the refinery blocked by strikers. As for the increase in petrol prices by about two cents, the businessman explained that it is not due to speculation by some traders who took advantage of the fuss about the strike, but to world market prices.
The federation of workers from the petroleum and chemical industry announced a general strike in protest against the new measures that should be adopted by the end of the month as part of the recovery programme for Greece. After the event was announced, many drivers in the capital rushed to the nearest petrol stations to fill up their tanks. "On Monday evening, after the union of the refinery had announced a lengthy strike, a protest against the government policy, a long queue formed and the petrol station remained closed today because stocks were exhausted anyway. Tomorrow, there will be delivery from another supplier and even if the strike lasts until next week, I do not think we will have problems with the supplies," said the owner of a petrol station in the northern suburbs of Athens. He explained that citizens want to anticipate events known from previous years and rush to the nearest available station when they hear the words "refinery" and "strike" in a sentence.
Despite the advice of representatives in the sector, citizens continue to queue up in front of petrol stations, mainly near the ring road around the capital. "I prefer to lose half an hour today while queuing for petrol instead of having no transportation the day after tomorrow when all public transport means decide to strike again," said, for our readers, a driver from the capital who is determined to fill his petrol tank at the beginning of the week.
The fuss about the petrol crisis is good for many retailers in the sector, because fearing that the precious fuel could run out, all rush to fill their tanks to the brim. According to data provided by the union of petrol stations owners, over the last year, the turnover of petrol stations has fallen by 20% compared with the period before the peak of the economic crisis, or since the middle of 2009, the overall drop in turnover has almost reached 40%.
"People no longer travel long distances with ease, as they did before the problems in the local economy worsened," said Kiousis. He stressed that the economic policy chosen by the government affects not only consumers, but also entrepreneurs who depend on tax revenues and keeping jobs. Therefore, the union of petrol station owners said it would join the national strike by the Greek unions on October 19 this year. Kiousis said that despite their support of the national protest, petrol stations will not stop working and will remain open to the people.
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