ARCHIVED - Spanish truckers to strike ahead of Black Friday and Christmas

Transport workers have called a new indefinite strike starting next Monday, just days before Black Friday and the Christmas shopping campaign

Transport workers in Spain, including HGV and freight truck drivers, have decided to call more industrial action as of Monday November 14, conducting work stoppages and slowdowns to disrupt the business of haulage in the country until their demands are met for agreed-upon working conditions to be respected.

The last time truckers went on strike in Spain was in March, and back then it led to shortages of food and supplies in supermarkets and stores, and panic-buying of certain items. This time, it is feared that the timing of this latest wave of strikes, in the runup to Black Friday on November 25 and to the Christmas shopping period, could make the effects on consumers even worse.

The National Platform in Defence of the Transport Sector has decided, with an 86% majority, to call the new indefinite strike to protest against the failure of transport companies to comply with the law on costs, which prohibits them from working at a loss.

The strike comes at a time that the Minister of Transport in Spain, Raquel Sánchez, has described as “complicated”.

After the strikes last March, which lasted for 20 days and caused problems in the national supply chains, the hauliers reached a series of agreements with the government. They agreed on a package of 450 million euros in aid, the limitation of waiting times to one hour, reinforcements in transport inspection and the approval of a law to prevent hauliers from working at a loss.

“The problem has been the lack of seriousness and lack of coordination of the administrations,” say the strike organisers. “The government transport delegate has tried to do things well, I recognise that, but, at the same time, the weapon we had, the decree law that was passed in August not to work below the cost price and limit the commission to shippers, is not being respected.”

Faced with a situation “equal to or worse” than in March, the transport sector has been “driven to desperation” and is calling a strike to “respect” the law passed in August.

The organisers continue: “A law was passed that the shippers have to respect and, far from this, they are imposing unacceptable prices. If you protest, they put you on a blacklist and if you don’t unload your lorry, they put you on a blacklist too. This contravenes the law.”

Government sources, for their part, have stated that they are “concerned” over the decision to strike: “The conditions have improved and the sector is telling us that. We are going to continue working to improve. We are calling for responsibility, because the moment is complicated.”

Transport Minister Sánchez also said that her department is “finalising an inspection mechanism” that will be presented “in the coming weeks”.

That will not be soon enough to force a decision to stop the truckers from striking next Monday, barring some last-minute negotiations this week.

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