FOR THE tenth time in four months, petrol prices are set to rise once again. Outraged members of ANAREC –The National Association of Petrol Vendors – have threatened to close petrol stations for up to three days.
“We have a petition, which is circulating among 1,800 of our associates. So far, 60 per cent have agreed to go on strike,” said António Saleiro, president of ANAREC, adding that all vendors could remain idle for three days. “We are going to wait 15 more days for a response by the Competition Commission (Autoridade de Concorrência) and from the government, before we decide whether to take action,” Saleiro explained.
He believes that if the price per barrel of oil stays at 39.50 dollars, the price of petrol will soar by one cent every week for the foreseeable future. According to statistics, between January 1 and April 28, the price of diesel has soared by 25.5 per cent and petrol by 46.3 per cent. Last week, the third biggest petrol operator, Shell, raised their petrol prices again.
Government to
revise road code
The government has announced that it is to revise the current Portuguese highway code – Código da Estrada – in an attempt to tackle speeding, drink-driving, poor behaviour towards pedestrians and child safety. More details to follow.
