Gas station strike.(FRENCH WEST INDIES)

0 Comments | Caribbean Update, July, 2009

Owners shuttered nearly all gas stations on Martinique to pressure the government to raise prices, reports AP (May 21, 2009). Owners say they are not making a profit and cannot afford to pay workers. The protest involved about 80 of the island's 90 stations. The French government twice lowered gas prices earlier this year following protests in Guadeloupe and French Guiana last December.

Officials are reviewing a report on pricing. Gas here sells for US$1.50 per liter (US$3.96 per gallon) and diesel for US$1.16 (US$3.06 per gallon).