And while Flowers will soldier on, what about those Central American Companies and the increase in their controlled price? Now that they have acceded to government's demands of getting their scales certified and abandoning their strike, will government grant the price increase they've been asking for?
That's what we asked the minister who's in charge of negotiating with them today..
Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of Public Service
"We are prepared to enter negotiations with respect to prices but it will include a complete review of the pricing structure, so it's not a given that it will end up with high prices."
Jules Vasquez
"I know because I have tested with a hydrometer that the butane being imported into Belize is 90% propane. The LPG is at best 90% propane, and we know that propane is far cheaper. Will, might it occur that we get an actually lower price out of this?"
Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of Public Service
"Well anything is possible Jules, like I said government is prepared to review the entire industry. Review the price structure and we will see what comes out of that, a lot of that will depend on what we can agree on in terms of standards. We are pretty close with coming up with standards and we have our consultants that are working on that and are hoping that with in another few weeks we can present a draft for consideration."
Jules Vasquez
"They pulled a strike, they tried to force the nation into a crisis but while inconvenience was suffered certainly, we did not have a crisis. Are you prepared to enter negotiations with them being on the weak side, knowing that they mess-up themselves and their employees regrettably for an entire week."
Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of Public Service
"I think that is for them to understand and comprehend, we will deal with all the players in the industry on an equal basis and deal in the interest of the country."
Since the strike, at least one other major importer from Spanish lookout has been given a license and is importing.
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