The familiar sight of petrol station attendants filling up tanks could soon be a thing of the past across much of Argentina after President Javier Milei’s government issued a new decree authorising the use of self-service fuel pumps.
The move – which brings Argentina into line with countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Paraguay and European Union member states – will allow customers to serve their own petrol or diesel.
Unions, however, warned that as many as 70,000 jobs could be lost by the development, adding that there were potential safety risks.
In Decree 46/2025, issued by the Energy Secretariat on Wednesday, the Milei administration said the measure would “provide service stations with an additional option for organising their service offerings.”
Self-service fuel options will be voluntary and subject “to the discretion of the fuel retailers,” it added. The government hopes to see “lower differentiated prices” and “clear benefits for the consumer,” as service stations will incur lower costs.
Self-service pumps, however, will not be installed across all national territory. In the provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, and Jujuy, local laws prohibit the operation of fuel pumps by anyone other than service station staff.
The Confederación de Entidades del Comercio de Hidrocarburos y Afines de la República Argentina (CECHA) industry group backed the move, saying it would provide “new alternatives.”
“It is the beginning of a long process that implies a cultural change and that makes us equal to what is happening in the rest of the world,” said CECHA in a statement.
The announcement had been trailed last year, but only became formalised on Wednesday. Pilot tests were carried out at YPF and Shell service stations in Buenos Aires City and Mendoza.
Job losses?
The introduction of the self-service option has raised concerns among service station workers that they may soon be unemployed. Reacting to the announcement, the Sindicato de Obreros y Empleados de Estaciones de Servicio (SOESGyPE) warned that the new policy could put up to 70,000 jobs in jeopardy.
SOESGyPE Deputy Secretary General Carlos Acuña argued that staff constituted only a small percentage of final fuel prices and said thousands of families would be affected by the new system.
Union leader Guillermo Borelli, representing petrol workers in Córdoba, estimated that around 2,000 families would “lose their livelihood” solely in his province.
He also raised concerns about safety risks, stating that workers often have to ask motorists to “turn off their mobile phones,” “switch off their lights,” and “not to smoke.”
“Many say it looks easy, but the work carried out by the colleague at a service station is not easy,” Borelli analysed.
“The only ones who profit here are the big companies. It’s also not something that will significantly affect the price of fuel,” he added.
Most providers are expected to offer a mixed service, retaining some staff to refuel vehicles in the traditional manner, check oil and water and advise customers. The self-service option is expected to be particularly useful during night-time hours and national holidays.
The Milei administration also authorised the installation of small-scale mobile service stations, which are often repurposed shipping containers.
– TIMES/NA/PERFIL
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