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ARCHIVED - Murcia tow trucks and garages make a stand against insurance companies
Tow truck operators in the Region of Murcia have called for a strike later this month
Tow truck operators in the Region of Murcia have called for strike action at the end of July and the beginning of August to force insurance companies to pay them more fairly for their services. According to the National Association of Roadside Assistance Companies (Aneac), recovery vehicles are only paid what amounts to 3.50 euros per hour to attend the scene of an accident or breakdown.
Aneac has asked tow truck owners to down tools on July 29, 30 and 31 and August 1, although the national organisation, which represents more than a dozen companies in the Region of Murcia, has assured that they will attend to emergency situations during the industrial action.
The recovery vehicles will provide “minimum services,” a spokesperson explained, but will not attend to “drivers who have a punctured wheel or who cannot start the car.”
Auto repair shops in the Region are also getting in on the action and have launched an official complaint with Brussels against the low prices paid by insurance companies. The Regional Association of Repair Workshops, Gretamur, is currently collecting signatures against the Spanish regulations which “grant favourable treatment to insurers,” allowing them to dictate the prices garages must charge for work.
There are around 1,500 vehicle repair shops in the Region, with those specialising in body work and sheet metal the worst affected by the low quotes. According to Gretamur, insurance companies frequently demand work to be done at prices recommended by their own experts, mechanics who have a vested interest since they work for the insurers.
Workshop owners are now demanding that the European Parliament act against these “bad practices” and provide a solution that ends “the current unbalanced relationship between garages and insurers, giving rise to a more equitable framework”.
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Image: Wikimedia Commons
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