1m-euro fines for meal ticket issuers

The Competition Council has fined several issuers of meal tickets with more than one million euros (47 billion ROL), in the wake of an investigation showing they jointly set a minimal level of the fee requested from the employers. The Council seldom decides to apply such severe penalties.

The companies having to pay penalties are Accor Services SA, Bluticket Romania SRL, Cheque Dejeuner Romania SRL, Cuget Liber Poligraf SA, Hungastro SA, International Financial Services SA, Proserv SRL and Sodexho Pass SRL.

The representatives of companies that had not been notified about the Competition Council’s decision are disputing it.

“We have not been notified so far about the decision of the Council, but, if this is true, it is a thoroughly unfair decision, and in accordance with our rights, we will dispute it in a court of law,” said Gheorghe Tatu, marketing manager with Hungastro based in Sfantu Gheorghe.

The representatives of Accor Services and Sodexho Pass said they would not make any comments until notified by the Competition Council.

The investigation was launched this April, after the competition authorities became aware of a possible agreement between the above-mentioned companies.

Representatives of several meal ticket issuing companies early this year met to discuss the policy embraced by some issuers, of levying zero commissions from employers, associated with the ticket printing costs and moved to set a minimal threshold for these costs.

Officials say they had not met to create a cartel, but to clear up some legislative aspects.

In line with the law regulating the activity of meal ticket issuers, ticket-printing costs must rest with employers, but the law does not specify a minimal threshold as regards these costs.
georgiana.stavarache@zf.ro