Petroleum Trade unions urges that the Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila as a responsible Minister should take action against the LIOC or take back the company’s operations if the LIOC acts in any way to disrupt fuel distribution. According to the agreements the government can take back the control of the Petroleum business if they are failed to an interrupted supply of fuels, General Secretary of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation National Employees Union Ananda Palitha told Lankasara.
Fuel stations owners claim that the LIOC’s supply has been suspended due to price crisis as the local retail prices have not adjusted according to the global fuel prices. Mr. Palitha stressed that the Minister could not act like an infant and should intervene as a responsible Minister because fuel supple affects the every aspects unlike milk powder or LP gas .
He further stated that in the last 17 months since the present government took over the country, there has been a continuous decline of approximately $ 23 per barrel of crude oil, but neither the Petroleum Corporation nor the L IOC has given the people the benefit of these low prices.
Therefore, there is no right to increase the price of oil which has not been reduced for 17 months by 3 months, he added.
He said that the country still has imported oil at the old price and the new prices of oil in the world market have not been imported to Sri Lanka yet.
