Oil Sector Suspends Planned Strike

The oil sector announced on Friday the suspension of its planned strike on April 2-4 to pave the way for more negotiations with Energy Minister Jebran Bassil.

The decision came following a large-scale meeting held by the Association of Petroleum Importing Companies, the Syndicate of Gas Station Owners and the Syndicate of Tank Owners.

The group stressed that the suspension of the strike did not mean a cancellation.

It said the oil sector will hold a meeting with the involved officials at the energy ministry on Monday to study their demands and achieve a solution that preserves everyone’s rights.

The sector is urging the government for an increase of LL820 on the overall price of 20 liters of fuel, LL500 of which would be added to the surcharge accumulated by the stations, LL120 to transportation tanks and LL200 to oil companies.

Bassil slammed the strike, saying it targets the citizens and harms them.

“As energy minister, I stick to my position that there should be no additional charges on the citizen in favor of the companies or the stations,” he said at a press conference.

The minister signed on Thursday the weekly update of fuel prices after a one-day delay during which companies refused to distribute oil to gas stations.