By Melissa Brown

Topic: Petrol Prices

Fuel prices are rising due to the war in the Middle East, and retail workers are facing anger from drivers.

In short:

The union for petrol station workers says there has been a rise in reports of abuse from customers since fuel prices started to rise.

Petrol station owners say they are not making money from the fuel price rises and are losing sales of food, drinks, and coffee.

What's next?

The union is surveying workers to get data on the rise in customer aggression and will work with operators to improve worker safety.

A driver yelled at a worker at one of Eddy Nader's petrol stations because it was not part of a price discount program.

He put our female staff member into tears, Mr Nader said.

A big truck driver stopped the man from abusing the worker and removed him from the store.

For the latest news on the Middle East crisis, read our blog.

A truck driver drove off without paying for $1,000 worth of diesel at one of Mr Nader's service stations.

Mr Nader owns six service stations in New South Wales, including some with branding agreements with Shell and Ampol.

Eddy Nader says his staff have been abused and in-store sales have fallen during the fuel price rise.

The independent operator has been in the fuel industry all his life, and his son recently joined the business.

There are photos of me in the bassinet at Dad's first servo, Mr Nader said.

Fuel theft and customer aggression are challenges for Mr Nader's third-generation family business.

See what's happening with petrol and diesel prices near you, updated constantly.

Many customers can no longer afford to buy snacks or drinks, which are crucial for the business to make a profit.

If someone buys $80 worth of fuel and doesn't buy something in the shop, we barely break even on that transaction.

Petrol retailers say many customers can no longer buy items in their store because of their fuel bill.

Union investigating incidence of worker abuse

The union has launched a survey to firm up reports of customers taking out their frustrations on staff.

This is real, the union's national secretary Gerard Dwyer said.

The conversations we've had with staff in high-pressure situations are not good.

The incident rate has gone up significantly.

The union has received reports of verbal abuse, violent confrontations, and customers destroying equipment and property.

The union says it's hearing reports of customers taking out their stress on staff.

The survey results will help inform operators on how to improve worker safety.

The war in the Middle East is driving the price increases, Mr Dwyer said.

We're all frustrated with the increase in petrol, but that's no excuse to abuse the person serving you.

People need to step back and calm down when purchasing fuel.

Uncharted territory for fuel retailers

The Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association represents fuel retail operators in Australia.

Less than a third of petrol stations are owned by large fuel companies.

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