By Devon Evans, Gleaner WriterOCHO RIOS, St. Ann:
MEMBERS OF the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers' Association (JGRA), have welcomed the decision by Government to put in place a new code of conduct along with new regulations governing weights and measures in the petroleum industry.
The changes are to take effect by October 30 this year.
Describing the move as 'necessary', Lloyd Brown, outgoing president of the JGRA, said the new measures will be able to bring about a greater level of fairness in the distribution and retail of petroleum and will help to foster a more harmonious relationship between gasolene marketing companies and retailers islandwide.
EVERY EFFORT
Speaking at the JGRA's 53rd annual general meeting at the Franklyn D. Resort in Runaway Bay, St. Ann on Sunday, Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, said every effort is being made to have the new regulations in place by October 30. Mr. Paulwell also said that the new code of ethics and practices will be geared toward achieving 'reasonableness' within the petroleum trade.
Mr. Brown told The Gleaner that the move by the Government was most essential and will provide members of the JGRA with some level of equality in the trade. "It is something we have fought for, it's something we need and what we are asking for is harmonious relationship in the trade."
Mr. Brown said however that based on what has been presented to the organisation, there are two major concerns the matter of goodwill has not been sufficiently addressed and there is still a loophole in the pricing mechanism which allows a marketing company alone to determine what is called a trade zone in which prices vary in each zone.
"We feel as an industry it has to be established by the industry for us to know because what you find is different pricing mechanisms," he said.
Mr. Brown pointed out that in the Corporate Area, the marketing companies have four to five different pricing zones, which he described as ridiculous.
