São Paulo – The new 4.4% increase in the price of diesel oil, which began to take effect as of this Wednesday (27th), put more fuel into the truck drivers’ dissatisfaction. The category promises to start a national strike from next Monday (1st). In addition to the fuel price, the category complains that the main demands of the 2018 stoppage – such as minimum freight – have not been implemented.

Last Tuesday (26), the strike movement received support from the National Confederation of Transport and Logistics Workers (CNTTL-CUT). The entity represents 800 thousand autonomous drivers and workers.

According to the president of the Union of Autonomous Cargo Transporters (Sinditac) in Ijuí-RS and CNTTL-CUT spokesman, Carlos Alberto Litti Dahmer, the category’s claims agenda has been going on for almost three years. Last week, the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) announced a 2.51% increase in the minimum freight price, an index considered insufficient by workers.

“Just to give you an idea the price of the tire has increased in the last three months by more than 60%, be it domestic or imported. Until today, we have not had the floor judged by the STF. We cannot stand this situation. Today we have a minimum floor of hunger. For us, hunger and exploitation are unconstitutional. Let’s stop this. We will fold our arms on February 1st, ”said Dahmer.

‘Worse than in 2018’

According to the president of the National Transport Association in Brazil (ANTB), José Roberto Stringasci, the “category is worse today than in 2018”. The declaration was given on Tuesday (26), in a virtual conversation promoted by the Rio Grande do Sul Port Workers Union, which brought together truck drivers’ representatives.

Zé Roberto stated that the category wants the end of the International Parity Price (PPI) policy, adopted by Petrobras in 2017. Since then, according to him, fuel has become the “majority partner” of the truck driver. He also said that the duration of the strike will depend on the government’s negotiating capacity. In May 2018, the national truckers’ strike lasted 11 days.

The stoppage of truck drivers has even won support from Petrobras workers themselves. United against rising fuel prices, the Single Federation of Oil Tankers (Fup-CUT) has announced that it will distribute gas canisters, basic baskets and masks during the truck stoppage.

Rooms

There are important divisions and diverging interests in the land transport sector. The main cut is between self-employed drivers and owners of carriers, who have registered workers. Political differences also compromise the unity of the category. Despite the high price of inputs, for example, some drivers are reluctant to join the strike because they believe it is a movement against the Bolsonaro government.

This claim was countered by Zé Roberto. “The category will never do anything to overthrow anyone. We are claiming our rights ”. He recalled that truck drivers were Bolsonaro’s main supporters during the 2018 campaign. The president himself, then a candidate at that time, supported the class’s demands.

This time, however, the president called on truck drivers to suspend the stoppage. The government promises to reduce taxes to mitigate the increase in fuel prices. In addition, the import rate for cargo vehicle tires was also zeroed. Even the inclusion of truck drivers in the priority group in the National Immunization Plan (PNI) was announced to try to contain the strike movement.

But, according to the president of the Brazilian Association of Motor Vehicle Drivers (Abrava), Wallace Landim, known as Chorão, Bolsonaro’s appeal “does not convince”. In an interview with the portal Uol, he stated that “with each passing day the temperature is increasing more” among drivers. In addition to ANTT, he demanded the intermediation of the Minister of Infrastructure, Tarcísio Freitas, “to guarantee our legal achievements, such as the minimum freight floor, the exemption of the toll for the hired truck driver and other items”.