The truckers union interrupted different highways in Chile for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday morning, after the Government presented the first thirteen complaints on Wednesday night invoking the State Security Law. The supermarket associations They expressed that they begin to suffer the Lack of supplies in the gondolas.
“Twenty-seven complaints have already been drafted and sent, of which, at this moment, thirteen have already been filed in the regions of Arica, Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Valparaíso and the Metropolitan Region,” he reported. Manuel Monsalvewho replaces Carolina Toha who these days, in the absence of President Gabriel Boric, occupies the vice presidency. Monsalve stressed that the complaints were presented individualized in the cases that have been able to individualize the people.
The Minister of the Interior and Security, Carolina Tohá, confirmed that they have made the decision to prosecute, through the State Security Law, criminally the truckers who maintain the roadblocks in various parts of the country. “It is not acceptable, we are not going to tolerate it. That is why the Government has decided that it is going to invoke the State Security Law, as befits in cases like this. The decision has already been taken,” the minister explained.
Monsalve called on truckers this Wednesday to clear the routes and clarified that they can demonstrate, but without affecting the normal functioning of the country. At a press conference, Monsalve said that there was fifty-three points with the presence of paralyzed truckers in the countryhalf of them on the shoulder and the other half on the road.
“The damage that is caused to the country is enormous, the aggression of taking over the highways is not an aggression against the Government, it is an aggression against the citizens of the country and in that we cannot have flexibility,” declared the Undersecretary of State.
This Wednesday night Carabineros began to clear some of the blocked routes. According to local press reports, four people were arrested in the Coquimbo Region, in the north of the country.
The truckers union Confederation of Transporters Fuerza del Norte, who initiated the strike, decided to maintain the indefinite strike after rejecting the Government’s proposal to end the protests. “The mobilization continues until we can reach a definitive agreement between the parties“, the president of the carriers grouped in Fuerza del Norte, Cristián Sandoval, told local media on Wednesday.
The strike began this Monday by the Confederation of Fuerza del Norte Transporters and the Association of Owners and Drivers of Paine Trucks, who are demanding a reduction in the price of fuels and greater safety on the routes. That same day representatives of the union that did not join the protest met with the Government and agreed to a reduction in the price of diesel, but the scope of the negotiations was not enough to stop the mobilization.
Lack of supply in supermarkets
The Association of Supermarkets of Chile AG said that it began to suffer logistical difficulties that have altered the normal supply of some of its facilities throughout the country due to the truckers’ strike that has been going on for four days.
As expected due to the roadblocks, the supermarket association indicated that the most affected area is northern Chile, including the cities of Valparaíso and San Antonio. “The members of our Association are making internal coordination efforts to minimize the impact of this situation in the community,” AG said in the statement, adding that the authorities were already aware of the problem.
In addition, the association expressed its concern, among various aspects, for the supply of perishable products because it will be especially difficult in the coming days if the truckers’ strike continues. “One of the important problems is the loss of perishable food due to the breakdown of cold chains”, stated the supermarket association. “We regret this situation that weakens the population’s access to sources of supply and basic consumer goods,” the note added.
For its part, the union of Food and Beverages (AB) He pointed out that the strike is causing serious damage throughout the logistics chain, mainly affecting the normal supply of households and consumers in Chile. It’s a statement, AB regretted the situation and said he hopes that the authorities will reach a prompt and final solution..
The truckers, a group that has enormous power of influence in Chile since rail transport was abandoned during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, which took place between 1973 and 1990, have held several protests so far. of the year alleging reasons of lack of safety on the routes. Transport mobilizations in Chile have a large and direct impact on its economy, since there is no alternative to land transitweighed down by the lack of interest in the development of an extensive railway network during the dictatorship.
Source: Pagina12
