PARAMARIBO – The gas station owners who attended a union meeting of the SSEB on Sunday night, made it clear that they wanted to close their gas stations immediately, but eventually decided to give the administration of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi one last chance.

 “The government was given two weeks to present a proposal that the gas station owners could work with,” said Sirodjenie Jankie, deputy chairperson of the SSEB. If the government fails to meet with the union within a week and if it fails to present a solution within the next two weeks, all of the gas stations will be closed for business. Jankie pointed out that seven months ago the SSEB delivered a request to raise the profit margin but that the government still has not given any response. “We are the ones taking the risks. We are the ones collecting the government take and all other income when we sell gasoline and we also have to give an advance, without any guarantee that we will earn our money back, so why can’t we get a higher profit margin. This problem has existed for many years but the government still keeps stalling. The gas station owners are fed up with waiting and want to see results,” said Jankie. The SSEB pointed out that the government take and the price for utilities were raised in the past couple of months, and that the gas station owners therefore have to right to demand a raise. Jankie made it clear that the government also has not paid its fuel bills these past couple of months…[+]