Fuel prices ‘still pegged to international oil prices’

Even though the Labour Party and its "lapdog" the General Workers Union staged a national protest against "artificially inflated" fuel prices in 2011, the union today was not protesting against the significantly higher prices.

Addressing parliament, Nationalist MP George Pullicino hit out at the GWU and the Labour Party for what he called "hypocrisy". He said the GWU had carried out a crusade against the PN government each time a price increase in fuel was announced.

"In 2011, they took the streets protesting against the fuel prices claiming the government had artificially inflated the prices and accusing the Malta Resources Authority of abdicating its duty," Pullicino said.

The former resources minister said the international price of oil in January 2011 was of $96.3 per barrel. Today, the price stood at $108.1, 12.2% more. The domestic fuel prices were 12.4% higher than 2011.

"This shows that the price of fuel has always increased according to the international oil price. It confirms that fuel prices are still pegged to international prices. It also confirms that accusations leveled against the PN government in 2011 were false and misleading."

Pullicino said the only stability brought about by the Labour government - after the Ministry for Energy secured a three-month fixed price agreement - was that fuel still increased according to the international oil prices.

Hitting out at the GWU, Pullicino said the only difference was that the workers' union "was totally silent" despite prices being 12% higher. In the case of LPG, prices were 20% higher than 2011.

"It is obvious and clear that the national protest had been nothing else but a staged protest to attack government. Because if the GWU and Labour had felt the prices were too high, they would be against this month's prices."

In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry for the Energy lambasted the Opposition for misleading consumers in its arguments. It also presented data comparing 2013 with 2012.

According to the data published by the government, the price of unleaded during most of the months in 2013 had been cheaper than 2012. In the case of diesel, also during 2013, there had been five times when the price was cheaper than 2012, three times were the price was higher than 2012, and two times were the price was the same.

In the case of LPG, this months prices were 30c cheaper than January 2013.