The Government bonuses 4 cents per liter and ‘eats’ the margin of the oil companies

The Government’s plan to alleviate the consequences of the rise in fuel for professional transport is failing. The self-employed and SMEs do not support the plan presented on Monday evening and ask for specific aid that, according to what they have calculated, would barely amount to about four cents of a euro per liter of bonus. This amount, which is deducted from the 500 million that have been calculated for the entire sector, is far from those announced by other countries and that reach 30 cents in the case of neighboring Portugal. On the other hand, the fact that they must be assumed by the “distributors and marketers” of fuel and that it has not yet been specified in what percentage has put these companies and the supply of fuel in check since, as confirmed to elEconomista from the sector, the assumption of this amount “would eat up” the margin of professional diesel with whom they work. All this, while the intervention of the market with a cap on the prices of a liter of fuel flies over the market.

The comparison of the data calculated by the carriers with the measures approved by neighboring countries leaves Spain as the country in which aid is lower, although the Government has not yet given official data on what exact figure will be reduced. In this sense, and as can be seen on the map, France has approved a drop of 15 cents per litre, Italy has raised this amount to 25 and Portugal has gone further, reaching 30. But the prices they have in these countries per liter of diesel are also very different and, in addition, in the case of professionals, the tax is subsidized hydrocarbons (a part of what is initially paid is returned).

All this fits with the co-payment announced by the Executive between the “distributors and marketers” of fuel -of which they had no news until yesterday it was announced at the end of the meeting with the CNTC, as elEconomista advanced- and the State itself. In this sense, diesel for professionals has a margin for oil companies that is ostensibly lower than that of other users. Yes to the part of the 500 million euros of bonuses On the price of this fuel, the statements of the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, who opened the door yesterday morning to limit the price of fuel, provided that it obtains the approval of the European Commission, are added. the oil companies will see how the margin with which they work in this product practically disappears. The objective pursued by this set of measures, according to Raquel Sánchez herself, is that the announced bonuses are effective and are not reduced to nothing by a new rise in the price of a liter of fuel that may occur in the future.

“State Problem”

The strike in the transport sector is becoming entrenched and consumer organizations are warning of possible shortage problems in the coming days, calling the need to put an end to the current situation a “maximum urgency”. For them it is a “state problem” that threatens production and that It puts more than 100,000 jobs at risk. Faced with this situation, the value chain of mass consumption -primary sector, industry and distribution- yesterday asked the conveners in a joint statement to stop “coercing” the rest of the sectors, preventing the development of their activity. The organizations Aecoc, ACES, Anged, Asedas, Cooperativas Agro-Alimentarias and FIAB, also urged the Government “not to lose a second in the realization of the transport aid plan”.

Numerous companies and cooperatives have had to interrupt their manufacturing processes and have been forced to temporarily close due to lack of supply. Among them stand out Calvo, Azucarera, Cuétara, Dcoop, Agrosevilla or feed factories and others such as Danone or Heineken-Cruzcampo.

CCOO denounces the situation

While the carriers’ strike continues, CCOO denounced that the Government intends to cover the problems of shortages that are taking place “allowing those businessmen who do not support the strike, can allocate their workers to make trips without the limits on driving and rest times set by European and state regulations”.

In this sense, they point out that the General Directorate of Land Transport issued yesterday a resolution exempting from March 17 to 27 to all salaried drivers who carry out or have carried out operations in national territory, the obligations in terms of driving and rest times.

In this way, as they point out, companies will be able to force drivers to drive up to 11 hours a day in addition to the times of presence, drive up to 60 hours a week or up to 102 hours every two weeks. In addition, they have only nine hours of daily rest without the obligation to take two consecutive reduced weekly rests of at least 24 hours. “Transport companies are being rescued for the second time while the future of salaried drivers for whom there is no longer a generational change is sinking and deteriorating more and more,” they point out.