Gas station workers in Italy staged a general strike for two days, to protest accusations of price gouging by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Gas station operators announced a nationwide general strike for two days (January 25-26, 2023), according to Bloomberg.
Trade unions and gas station owners in Italy are protesting against the new decisions taken by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s government.
The right-wing prime minister is facing sharp criticism for her recent decisions to cancel car fuel subsidy programs since late December (2022).
Requiring stations to display prices
The decisions sparked an escalating wave of protests by consumers and trade unions, due to the rise in fuel prices after the decision, which prompted the government to take measures to confront what it described as manipulation of derivatives prices by gas station operators.
The government issued a decision to oblige gas stations in Italy to disclose the average price of petrol and diesel, as well as the prices at which they sell the derivatives to customers.
The government decision includes imposing fines on stations that do not comply with the implementation of the price display screen in front of customers and customers, according to what was monitored by the specialized energy platform.
The decision aims to confront what the government thinks is the existence of speculative operations on the prices of oil derivatives by some operators of gas stations operating in the country, which leads to consumer anger.
“Unfair description of the crisis”
Petrol station operators in Italy have responded by announcing a strike against what they say is an “unfair characterization” of high fuel prices in the country.
The government failed to convince the trade unions to cancel the strike, but some groups involved in organizing it announced a reduction in its duration, within the framework of negotiations that are still ongoing with the Italian Minister of Business and Industry Adolfo Urso.
The strike officially began at gas stations inside cities from 7 pm on Tuesday (January 24, 2023), while the strike at stations located on highways began from 10 pm, taking into account the traffic that needs time to arrange its order.
The strike is scheduled to continue for 48 hours, with the exception of some gas stations from complying with the full period and resuming their activity before that.
strike in France
This labor strike in Italy coincides with similar events taking place in the United Kingdom and neighboring France, which is witnessing a strike by the workers of most of the refineries operating in the country.
French refinery workers are protesting against new government plans aimed at adjusting the retirement age, which prompted them to strike for the first time on January 19, 2023, and led to the closure of 5 out of 6 refineries operating in the country.
The labor unions in France plan to organize new strikes on January 26 and February 6, to pressure the government to reverse its decision.
The French government proposed to gradually raise the retirement age in the country from 62 to 64 years by 2030, which angered workers and employees who view the government’s motives with some suspicion, as they believe that this is intended to reduce retirement costs.
The government plan proposes to increase the retirement age by 3 months, starting in 2023, which means that the decision includes all workers in the country of all ages.
More than one previous French government has tried to increase the retirement age, as part of an attempt to reduce the costs of retirement programs for most of the elderly population, but trade unions stand in the way every time.
strike in Britain
The United Kingdom is also witnessing a series of extended labor strikes since last year until now, in protest against low wages in more than one sector in the country.
The UK Nursing and Ambulance Drivers Union announced an upcoming strike on February 6, 2023, to protest low salaries compared to the high cost of living.
The strikes threaten France and Italy – the two largest economies in the European Union after Germany – the fuel sectors that are very vital to consumers and industries, while the strikes in the United Kingdom threaten a sector that is no less vital to the health of citizens.
A new meeting between Italian government officials and petrol station union representatives is scheduled for February 8, 2023, with the hope of reaching compromises that will avoid further flare-ups.
The Italian Minister of Business and Industry, Adolfo Urso, will meet with the European Union commissioners in Brussels to discuss developments in the situation in the second largest European economy.
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