After a week of uninterrupted strike of carriersdue to the exorbitant rise in the fuel pricethe Government has reached an agreement to reduce its impact. Thus, after the meeting held this Monday between the First Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calviño, the Ministers of Transport and Finance, Raquel Sánchez and María Jesús Montero, respectively, with the National Committee for Road Transport (CNTC) , negotiations have come to fruition.
The Executive undertakes to subsidize the price of diesel for carriersthrough a direct and “effective” aid for a total of 500 million euros. The final measure for the reduction for each liter of fuel refueled will be finalized the next day March 29, at the Council of Ministers. Despite being valued, in the end there will not be a reduction in VAT on fuel.
Instead, bet on the French model of direct aid. The neighboring country will lower 15 cents per liter starting in April, for a period of four months, as confirmed by the Prime Minister of France, Jean Castex.
We are going to apply a bonus in the price of professional diesel, along with other historical measures, to relieve carriers.
I thank the CNTC for its willingness to negotiate. This Government is committed to finding fair solutions for the sector. pic.twitter.com/sk29oZAqnK
– Raquel Sánchez (@raquelsjimenez) March 21, 2022
Within the CNTC, different associations are represented, such as CETM or Fenadismer, but not the group that has called a strike which is already in its eighth day of duration, Platform for the Defense of the Transport of Goods by National and International Road. From the platform, which claims to represent 85% of the sector, truck drivers were encouraged this Monday to continue with the mobilizations, because they understand that “the Government is still meeting the wrong people“.
This will be the help
The reduction will take place in the form of professional diesel bonus, once the corresponding Royal Decree-Law comes into force, and which will be approved on March 29. As confirmed by the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, part of the bonus will be supported by the public budget and the other in charge of the distributors and fuel sellers.
After the meeting held between the representatives of the CNTC and the Government, Sánchez appeared before the media to explain the agreements reached to end the strike, which has already affected various sectors of the economy. In this way, he has indicated that “a bonus will be applied to the price of professional diesel so that this has a real and effective impact and go to carriers“.
Sanchez specified that some parties insisted on a VAT reduction of fuels, a measure that has finally been discarded because “they were not going to have an effect on the road transport sector”. In addition, he explains, taxation is the lowest allowed by European regulation.
“We will apply this bonus to professional diesel. It is a measure that is going to have an impact of 500 million euros and it is a measure that is efficienteffective and that is going to have a direct impact”, stated the head of the Transport portfolio in her speech to the media.
The strike continues
The response of the platform that has called the strike has not been long in coming, and in a statement they assure that will maintain the strike in force since last Monday, March 14. “As long as the Ministry does not sit down, do not negotiate, do not agree and sign with Platform, this is not going to stop: you have to be sure“, declared the president of the organization, Manuel Hernández.
#Transport #stoppages #continue #position #truckers #government #measures