Chile Truckers’ Strike Suspended After Government Agreement, but Roadblocks Persist

The government of Chilean President José Antonio Kast announced an agreement on Thursday (Nov. 12) with the country’s main freight transportation organizations to end the Chile truckers’ strike, which began two days earlier and involved partial blockades of major highways across the country.

The agreement was announced by Interior Minister Claudio Alvarado following lengthy talks at La Moneda Palace, the seat of government, with representatives of the Fuerza Norte Transport Confederation and Chile’s Center-South Truckers Confederation.

Under the agreement, the main organizations involved in the strike decided to suspend their protests. However, the demonstrations had also spread to other sectors, including intercity bus operators, taxi drivers, school transportation providers and members of No+TAG, a movement opposed to Chile’s highway toll collection system. Some of these groups participated in the roadblocks and decided to continue protesting.

The agreement calls for reversing fuel price increases of 39 Chilean pesos per liter for gasoline and 42 pesos per liter for diesel that took effect on Thursday. It also provides for an additional reduction of 100 pesos per liter for diesel, which is widely used in freight and passenger transportation. The measures are subject to approval of legislation submitted to the Chamber of Deputies.

Another provision agreed upon by the government and transport operators is a freeze on fuel price increases through March 2027. Alvarado clarified that any declines in international fuel prices during this period would be passed on to consumers.

The interior minister, who led the negotiations, emphasized the significance of the agreement.

“We have reached an agreement with the leaders here today and the members they represent to put an end to the strike the country has faced in recent days, allowing all Chileans to return to work peacefully and travel through our cities without difficulties or disruptions. Chile needs to return to normal so it can continue growing and moving forward. The people standing here with me today helped build this solution so that our country can keep making progress. This is an achievement for everyone,” Alvarado said.

Cristián Sandoval, leader of the Fuerza Norte Transport Confederation, thanked the minister for his willingness to continue negotiations until an agreement could be reached.

“He rose to the occasion. We were on the verge of walking away with an outright no, but he redoubled his efforts so we could bring the strike to an end,” Sandoval said.

Reflecting on the strike and the terms of the agreement, Sandoval described it as “the best decision we have made in the past five or six years.”

Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz also took part in the negotiations after transportation organizations demanded his presence at the bargaining table. According to Quiroz, the measures outlined in the agreement will carry a fiscal cost of $500 million.

“It is a cost we can afford, entirely within our fiscal consolidation objectives,” Quiroz said.

Chile Truckers’ Strike: Independent Groups Maintain Roadblocks

Following the announcement, several groups of truck drivers began moving their vehicles off highways and reopening roads to traffic, with some celebrating the outcome of the negotiations.

However, divisions within the movement, made up primarily of small and medium-sized transportation operators, also highlighted disagreements among the participating organizations.

The Fifth Region Truck Owners Federation (Fedequinta), which had joined the protests, decided to end its participation late Thursday. Independent groups of truck drivers, however, insisted on continuing the strike.

Disagreements also emerged in Temuco, in southern Chile, where protesters had not yet reached an agreement to suspend their demonstrations.

The No+TAG movement also announced that it would continue protesting, arguing that the government’s proposals were insufficient.

President José Antonio Kast, who had a trip to Asia scheduled for Friday (Nov. 13), had criticized the highway blockades. Commenting on the demonstrations, he recalled the 2019 protests, particularly a practice known as El que baila pasa (“Dance to Pass”), in which protesters forced drivers to get out of their vehicles and dance before allowing them through roadblocks.

“We must not return to that past when our nation was destroyed. We cannot once again allow someone to be forced out of a vehicle and made to dance just to get through. That is unacceptable, and no one should have to endure such a situation. We are all in this together, not against one another,” Kast said.

Source: El País Chile

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