“We, workers in crisis due to expensive fuel”
VENICE – There are many types of companies brought to their knees by expensive fuels: from sales agents to taxi drivers, from hired bus drivers to installers. And the prospects are not very comforting.
“Costs have recovered, not business.” It is the de profundis that agents and sales representatives sing, one of the categories most affected by the rise in fuel prices due to the international economic situation, who often grind kilometers every day by car to reach customers. Stefano Montesco, at the helm of the Venetian representation of Fnaarc Confcommercio, echoes the national president of the category, Alberto Petranzan:
“An increase of at least 40% and only in the last month – specifies Montesco – It is impossible with these operating costs even to hypothesize a return of activity and turnover at the pre-pandemic level of 2019”. According to Montesco, the travels of the representatives are «our mission at the service of the production, marketing of companies and the GDP of our country. We connect our most competitive areas, such as the Venetian and the Veneto: about 700 professionals between the Metropolitan City of Venice and the Province of Rovigo, Italy, mediate just under 60% of the added value of the businesses in the area, consisting mainly of small and medium size “.
THE CALCULATION
Montesco makes a quick calculation: “With these an annual average of over 60 thousand km and with the fuels that in hours exceeded 2 euros / liter for both additional petrol and diesel, it is easy to understand how much the outlay is compared to the pre-existing situation. Covid for an agent and a sales representative: at least 30 percent more “The sales representatives must adopt in unison with the Government to adopt measures that reduce the costs of petrol and diesel, first of all fuels by drastically lowering excise duties, which drug the final price and to actualize the fiscal parameters of deductibility of the purchase of the car. «With the current force, in fact, the agent cannot invest in the purchase of vehicles with low environmental impact, which the entry on is still too high. And yet – concludes Montesco – This would also make it possible to make a specific contribution, also in terms of image, to the implementation of the energy transition plan ».
BUS FOR RENTAL
A separate chapter deserve the rental operators with driver, such as tourist buses. Covid has sent companies down, which rely mainly on revenues from travel agencies. And many have fallen back on additional services to public transport. Like school races. But, considering the latest events, it hasn’t gone much better. «We often work on estimates – explains Marino Gottardo, representative of Confargianato – and we signed many contracts several months ago, when these increases were not imaginable. Even more so those we conclude with the public administrations, which often last three years. Let’s think about the additional school transport. We signed it in September. And now? There are colleagues who are thinking of withdrawing from commitments even by paying a penalty, it could be less burdensome than continuing to work with these burdens. We pay the fuel at the same price as the common citizen, we do not have concessions. The tank of a bus contains about 600 liters, and it is 3 km per liter. It is easy to take into account how much we are lost ».
THE INSTALLERS
«We are trying to optimize the movements – says Francesco Costanti impiantini, contact person for the interventions by area, because with six vehicles and the costs doubled at each trip we suffer an increase of 7-8 euros, which customer is not frowned upon. We take into account that we are also going crazy with the shipping costs of materials, as well as on the procurement of raw materials. And let’s not forget that after the wave of the 110 percent bonus “the castle will collapse”. Already now people are putting off the maintenance costs of the boilers, which ultimately means less safety. But the salaries, a company, must continue to pay them every month ».
I TAXI
«Mobility has collapsed by 70 per cent – Alessandro Nordio points out, compared to 2019 – now there is a 40 per cent increase in fuels that we certainly cannot totally pour over to the end customer. We are a public service, the tariffs set by the Municipality and have been stopped since 2013. We ask the Government to allow them to be adjusted, because everyone has to do their part “