Brazilian truckers call strike for February

Entities representing truck drivers in Brazil have been moving in recent days to mobilize a national strike in order to get support for some important agendas and put pressure on the government.

The strike would be on 1 February, with two entities heading the mobilization: the National Transport Association in Brazil (ANTB) and the National Council for Road Cargo Transport (CNTRC).

Expectations on whether the strike will occur or not are mixed. The entities that called for the strike and have been meeting online guarantee this strike may have even higher participation than the one carried out in May 2018. On that occasion, truck drivers blocked roads for 10 days, affecting transport in 19 states of the country and becoming a crisis for the government.

On the other hand, some truckers told Argus said that the chance of a new strike reaching same level as 2018 is very low. They point out that there are many entities representing truck drivers that diverge from each other. This hampers national mobilization, as has happened in the past. In recent years several strike announcements have taken place but ultimately did not get enough support to cause a major stoppage.

The Ministry of Infrastructure maintains a permanent dialogue with the main representative entities of category through the Forum of Road Freight Transport (TRC), in addition to constant meetings with the leaders, it told Argus. Any association that wishes to contribute to the formulation of public policies may require participation to discuss possible topics of interest to the category, it said.

Main demands

One of the main demands of the movement is a greater application of the table with minimum freight prices, prepared by the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT).

It was created after the truckers' strike of 2018, following a request for better pay, but drivers of the movement call for greater government oversight over the application of the table values and revisions of methodology.

Another complaint of truck drivers is related to the price of diesel. In 2020, Petrobras' prices accumulated a drop of 16.6pc, but drivers say that the reductions practiced in refineries do not reach gas stations.

The movement also protests against a project called BR do Mar, which encourages cabotage and cargo transportation between ports in the country by sea. The project was approved by the Brazilian lower house in December 2020 and is waiting for the Senate´s review. Truck drivers are concerned, because if the law passes, the demand for road transport may decrease and result in lower prices.

By João Petrini