The government promises more sanctions to those who break the law to prevent a protest that will mean 600 million euros in daily losses
This Monday the strikes of the Platform for the Defense of Transport, the truck drivers’ association that called on all carriers to strike a week ago, will begin in protest against non-compliance with the cost law that prohibits working with losses in the summer.
To reinforce their protest, they have organized a demonstration that will take place next Monday at 10 am in Atocha, in the heart of Madrid. In a statement, the union defends that representatives of the agricultural, livestock and catering sectors will accompany them at the protest.
Last week was dominated by the meeting between the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the Platform last Thursday, which ended without result. From the Executive, they claim that everything the carriers are asking for has already been fulfilled and they promise more inspections to punish businessmen who break the law. But the critical truck drivers were not worth the promises, instead asking for signed and written agreements to call off the strike.
A disruption that, according to estimates by OBS Business School, will mean a loss of 600 million euros per day for the Spanish economy, just a few days before Black Friday (Friday 25 November), one of the highest consumption days in the world .year with sales rising by 700% that week in Spain, and a few weeks before Christmas.
For that reason, the sector itself calculates that this strike could jeopardize 25% of the annual turnover of carriers and shippers. Ontruck, a digital company in the sector, has seen an “unusual” increase in demand for transport services over the past week as many companies try to anticipate the strike in the sector that starts this Monday. Specifically, the platform currently estimates a 20% increase in requests for transportation services.
The period with the highest demand is expected between December 13 and December 23, while December 16 will be the day with the highest number of shipments of the year, 40% above the annual average. From UNO, the employers’ organization of logistics and transport companies, they explain to this newspaper that this strike “could break the supply chain and cause shortages” of some products. For this reason, they consider it a “very irresponsible” strike call, as it is a “very delicate” time of year when many companies, especially SMEs, put a large part of their annual income on the line. Both these and other associations in the sector see no reason to go on strike because they believe that the agreements made after the March strike are being fulfilled.
On the other hand, Manuel Hernández, leader of the platform calling for the strike, condemns that the situation continues eight months after those protests and is now exacerbated by higher costs for carriers, which are 30% higher than the costs of a year ago . past. For that reason, they calculate, nearly 250 companies in the sector have disappeared.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
