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Former head of petrol dealers’ association says: Fight suppliers’ excesses
Former President of the Guyana Petrol Dealers Association and a Texaco/Rubis dealer for almost four decades, Mr. Steve Chung, is calling on Petrol Dealers across the country to once again unite and be a formidable association to represent the dealers against excesses of the main suppliers.
Over the past 10 years the landscape for the dealers has changed for the worse, Mr. Chung said yesterday.
Steve Chung
The longest serving President of the Dealers’ Association said that the oil companies have whittled away at the little profits that dealers were making, reducing the dealers to commission agents without security or contract.
Many dealers have been prevented from setting their prices and allowing market forces to operate while the oil companies fix prices and dealers’ margins.
The “hog” of the profits are retained by the oil companies and the dealers are reduced to using family labour and working excessively long hours just to keep the businesses viable and to survive personally.
Mr. Chung noted that there are many dealers who have held franchises and worked hard to build their brand and station image, yet they have been unceremoniously kicked out of businesses to which they dedicated their lives. These include the Shell stations at McDoom, Regent Street and Providence while the Ogle Shell Station died fighting an unfair contract imposed by Shell.
Mr. Chung feels that unless the dealers unite they will become mere voiceless robots of the oil companies. He is urging the dealers to be aware of the divide and rule tactics of the oil companies. He also is calling on the government, the Private Sector Commission, Chamber of Commerce, Trade Union Congress and the opposition parties to look into the contracts being imposed on the Dealers.
They should also ensure that dealers are compensated for the years of service which they give, in the event that oil companies terminate the dealers’ contracts.
In the meanwhile with gasoline prices passing the $1000 per gallon mark, Mr. Chung is appealing to the Government to lower the taxes on fuel so that the burden of the increase will be cushioned.
It was promised at a meeting a few years ago that whenever fuel prices go to $1,000 or over, Government would lower the taxes.
“We need to fight to stop this unfairness being placed on Service Station Dealers by oil companies.
Together we stand; divided we fall”, he said.
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