Prime Minister Gaston Browne held intense discussions on Tuesday with gas station operators and several haulers who deliver gasoline to those service stations. This followed a decision by the service station operators not to open for business Tuesday morning in protest over their request for an increase, which they deemed to have been brushed aside. Higher gasoline and diesel prices went into effect on Tuesday following months of government subsidy that kept prices artificially low. During the one-hour meeting, it was revealed that the gas station operators first made a request in March 2026—a little more than one month prior to the April 30, 2026, General Elections. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Secretariat, headed by the Chief of Staff, recalled any such request. It was nevertheless agreed that an increase would not have been approved at that time. A discussion about the rationale for an increase followed, in which several operators argued that the use of credit/debit cards by consumers to purchase fuel has reduced their profitability. The higher fees extracted from the sale amount by banks and credit card companies reduce the profit margin that the gas station operators would have realized. This situation, the operators asserted, can only be fixed by government intervention. The operators also applauded the government for raising the minimum wage. However, other workers who earned more than the minimum wage sought to have their pay increased by an amount that made the cost of operation rise further. The profit margin was further eroded, the operators argued, by higher labor costs. Higher operating costs severely reduced their profitability. PM Browne listened intently to their many arguments. He proposed that a subcommittee of the operators, the haulers, the Ministry of Finance, and the PM’s Office be formed to work out a reasonable increase, and that their work be completed within 90 days. There was unanimous agreement on this approach, and the gas station operators and haulers agreed to participate in such a subcommittee. They agreed to end any protest action that they took earlier in the day. Gas stations across Antigua were subsequently reopened.
