The platform that mobilized thousands of truck drivers last March calls another indefinite strike if law banning contracting for transport losses is not complied with
Fuels are at an all-time high and carriers are suffering the consequences. Petrol today sets a new record by reaching 2.14 euros per liter, while diesel has reached 2.05 euros, so the government subsidy of 20 cents per liter has been diluted, especially for this sector that mobilized in March and the food distribution in certain areas of the country.
For this reason, Manuel Hernández, president of the Platform for the Defense of Transport and leader of the strikes three months ago, assures that if the government does not resolve this situation, they will be forced to “renew the strike suspended on April 2 to activate.” . In statements to this newspaper, Hernández explains that if the government’s promises are not met by June 30 — including the law banning the hiring of transport services at a loss — the Platform will return to “indefinite unemployment” in the month. from July.
Thus, the high fuel price “accentuates the losses” of the sector, for which the Chairman of the Platform asks that the law guaranteeing that transport prices cover operating prices is respected, because if not, “we will ruin”.
The truck drivers’ strike started with isolated work stoppages and eventually paralyzed much of the country. It lasted a little over three weeks, but lost momentum when the Ministry of Transport -after several days of negotiations- reached an agreement with the sector’s employers, the National Committee for Road Transport (CNTC). This pact included a bonus of 20 cents per liter of fuel and direct aid of 450 million euros.
It was one of the worst strikes in memory in the industry. Only in Andalusia, according to Council calculations, almost 1,000 million euros were lost. In the port of Bilbao, where congestion was causing more problems for freight transport, container companies asked the self-employed to return to work once their demands were met, such as direct aid to carriers of €1,250 per truck to offset energy cost overruns.
The most repeated statement by the Platform’s chairman at the time was that it cost truck drivers less money to be unemployed than to go to work.
Source: La Verdad
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