The All Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association on Tuesday announced a nationwide strike from midnight on Wednesday after negotiations with the federal petroleum minister failed to resolve a dispute over dealers’ commissions and the government’s fuel-pricing policy.
Association Chairman Humayun Khan announced the strike at a news conference alongside Vice Chairman Noman Ali Butt and provincial office-bearers.
Khan said the association had held negotiations with the petroleum minister earlier in the day but had failed to secure assurances on its key demands.
“We announce a nationwide strike from midnight tomorrow,” he said, adding that petrol pump owners across the country were facing serious operational and financial difficulties.
The association demanded that dealers’ commissions be linked proportionately to petroleum prices and revised monthly. Khan said the existing commission structure was no longer sufficient to cover rising business costs.
He also rejected the proposed daily revision of petroleum prices, describing the mechanism as inconsistent and impractical.
Khan said the presence of the government, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority and oil marketing companies in the pricing process had created confusion instead of addressing the concerns of fuel retailers.
He accused the government of failing to resolve the problems faced by business owners and said petrol pump dealers had not been consulted before the new pricing policy was formulated.
“It is regrettable that we are not taken into confidence when policies affecting our businesses are prepared,” he said.
The association maintained that frequent price changes would create accounting, inventory and operational difficulties for petrol stations and could also confuse consumers.
Petrol pump owners have previously demanded that their margin be converted from a fixed per-litre amount to a percentage of the fuel price, arguing that their expenses rise whenever petroleum prices and other operating costs increase.
