The government has announced an increase in the commission for some 3,500 petrol and diesel dealers. This immediately led to the Petrol Dealers' Association calling off its "no credit card" advisory to its members.
Effective yesterday, the new commission rate for petrol is 12.19 sen per litre and seven sen per litre for diesel, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said.
Previously, the commission for petrol was 9.5 sen per litre and diesel 4.5 sen per litre.
Petroleum Dealers Association president Abdul Wahid Bidin described the new commission rates as acceptable.
"We accept it with gratitude. With the new rates, we can at least survive," he said when contacted by the New Straits Times.
When the government restructured the petrol and diesel subsidy on June 5, dealers' margins shrunk to a point where they could no longer afford to bear their operation costs.
This problem potentially threatened the supply of petrol and diesel to the public.
In a statement issued yesterday, Shahrir also announced the implementation of the self-service system (SSS) throughout the country with effect from Aug 1. Petrol stations, with the exception of those located along highways, will operate from 6am to midnight with effect from July 1.
The minister said all customers, excluding those who were aged, disabled or pregnant, will be required to fill up their tanks themselves. This ruling applies to all petrol stations nationwide, except small, unbranded ones in out-of-town areas.
The number of workers allowed in the forecourt areas will also be limited to one for stations with four islands or less, two at stations with five to six islands and three at stations with more than seven islands.
He also said that petrol dealers who prefer to remain open round-the-clock may do so by applying for permission at state Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs offices.
Abdul Wahid lauded the SSS, which was in place between 1997 and 2002. He hoped dealers and oil companies would adhere to the guidelines.
"I hope it will not be like it was before, where petrol stations, at the urging of oil companies, kept hiring more and more people in an effort to jostle for customers."
He also welcomed the new 18-hour workday, saying that 90 per cent of operators complained that it was not profitable to be open between 11pm and 7am.
He added that giving operators a choice on whether they want to be open round-the-clock was a good idea, as it meant those who chose to do so couldn't complain they were not making a profit.
