Gas Station Managers’ Strike May Leave Tunisian Motorists Running on Empty

A Tunisian association of gas station managers declared on Monday that they would launch a general strike on February 25^th, potentially paralyzing fueling stations all around the country.

The announcement, from the National Chamber of Fuel Agents (NCFA), comes at a time when petrol smuggling across the Libyan and Algerian borders into Tunisia is rampant. The NCFA contends that the government is neglecting the problem.

Last summer, the Tunisian army was mobilized in the south of the country in an effort to prevent smuggled fuel from entering Libya and serving as a lifeline for Muammar Gaddafi’s loyalists. Tunisia’s government may soon have to act upon the problem of illegal gas trafficking once again.

Angered by perceived government inaction on the matter, the NCFA threatened that unless legislation is enacted to address illegal trafficking of fuel it will hold a general strike, in effect closing gasoline stations across Tunisia.  As of February 15^th, the NCFA has been awaiting a response from the government, said Mohamed Haj Zlitni, its vice president.

The NCFA forms part of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts (UTICA), which defends the rights and interests of investors and managers. According to Zlitni, all companies that invest in Tunisia’s fuel sector are under direct threat by continued fuel smuggling.

Illegal gas trafficking undercuts the local market, since Libyan and Algerian fuel is sold at a quarter of the going price in Tunisia. Destinations for contraband fuel are mostly cities near the Algerian and Libyan borders, such as Beja and Gabes respectively, while rarely reaching the capital, Tunis.

A method that traffickers commonly employ is enlarging their vehicles’ fuel tanks before setting off across the border.  Once in Tunisia, they sell excess petrol, stored in their tanks, reaping the profits from this illegal arbitrage scheme.

Investors in Tunisia’s fuel sector and legitimate gas providers are not the only ones who stand to lose from smuggling.  The sector’s workers themselves are also affected by illegal gasoline and diesel fuel trafficking, as a decreased demand for legal fuel may eventually lead to job cuts.

Yet, there does not seem to have been coordination between the two parties, according to Mongi Abderrahim, secretary-general of the Professions and Services Confederation, which represents the interests of workers across various industries.

“We are aware of the dangerous effects of fuel smuggling on the economy.  The strike is a right for all the parties.  But UTICA has taken this decision without informing us about it.  We are surprised to not be part of the decision since we are defending the workers, who are concerned as well by this decision,” said Abderrahim.