Truckers and agro-export companies from Paraguay signed an agreement of understanding this Thursday that raises the price of freight charges.
(CNN Spanish) -
Paraguayan truckers and agro-export companies signed an agreement on Thursday that raises the price of freight charges, and managed to lift a strike that had been developing nationwide for more than two weeks.
The agreement, according to the unions and businessmen, is of a provisional nature for the next 30 to 45 days, while the Technical Committee for Land Transportation of Cargo, where the agreement was reached, holds its meetings and the corresponding technical studies are carried out.
The freight price agreed in this memorandum of understanding has a 30% increase over the levels established in May, which the truckers had alleged had not been met.
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Hundreds of large trucks had arrived in the capital, Asunción, to mark a presence, exert pressure and support demands for a "fairer" price for transportation and freight charges.
The Technical Committee was created by the Executive Power to bring together truck drivers, agricultural companies and intermediaries and define a minimum operating cost for this service, the basis on which the parties will negotiate the final prices for cargo transportation.
The truckers unions initially pointed to a freight law that sets reference prices, but the bill that started strongly at the beginning of August with the start of the protest, already with half a sanction in general, went to commission and there it stalled, when the particular discussion of the articles was lacking.
This project still had a long journey since it had to pass through the Chamber of Deputies and, if approved, it should also achieve the enactment of the executive to become law.
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To accelerate the solution to the conflict from the Executive Power, a decree created the Technical Committee with the objective of defining a reference price for the freight service of grains and oils of vegetable origin.
This initiative was not initially accepted by the truckers, but after several meetings this Thursday, the Committee managed to get the sectors involved to reach a solution.
"The national strike has been lifted," said Ángel Zaracho, head of the Paraguayan Truckers Federation, who agreed with the agreement with the agro-exporters union.
"We are aware that the country is going through a major crisis at this time, now we have to move forward," he said at a press conference.
On the part of the agro-exporters, Hugo Pastore, stressed that "the path of dialogue" should never be abandoned.
The sector did not want to estimate losses due to unemployment, but maintained that the measure affected several fronts.
Pastore said that now it was necessary to "turn the page and work to make up for lost time."
The leaders of the truckers union said that they will leave Asunción in an orderly manner and with the support of the Police to avoid creating greater inconvenience to citizens.
Paraguay
