Brazil’s truckers are divided about whether to strike

Brazilian truck drivers were “furious” after the state-owned oil price regulator Petrobras jacked the price of diesel up by 4.8% last Thursday, according to Brazilian Truckers’ Association (Abcam), however the association shrugged off any possibility of calling a strike. The union boasts representing over 600,000 lorry drivers across the country.

However, the CNTA believes the decision of whether to call a strike or not depends on actions taken by the government this week; representatives are meeting with Brazil’s Infrastructure Minister today. The confederation’s leaders are demanding that either the government rolls out the minimum freight rates throughout the country this week or reduces diesel prices by R$0.50-R$0.60 per liter until the minimum freight rates kick in. CNTA are also advocating for Petrobras to regulate oil prices according to international pricing conventions.

All in all, Brazilian truckers seem divided with the possibility of calling a strike from April 29.

DatamarNews reported last Tuesday that the Brazilian government had pledged US$129m in bank loans for independent truck drivers. The government guaranteed a line of credit worth R$30,000 per driver, via Brazil’s National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES). The loan exclusively applies to independent truck drivers with two trucks per CPF.

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