The freight transporters once again challenge the Government and seek to negotiate at any cost, just as they tried at Christmas. The transporters threaten with a strike on March 14 that would cause general shortages in Spain. The statement issued by this organization highlights that the strike call involves “all types of transportation and all types of areas.” In addition, the price of gasoline makes truckers desperate.
The Platform, which brings together all types of Spanish merchandise companies and self-employed workers, affirm that they have explained to “all the State Ministries competent in the matters of the demands that are going to be sent to them urgently”, and insist to the Government that They sit down to negotiate with the representatives of the transporters.
»From this moment until the start date of the Strike, the competent Ministries are given time to sit down to negotiate with the Representatives of this organization and reach the necessary agreements that are published in the BOE, and only in this way said Strike would be called off,” states the Platform for the Defense of the Road Goods Transport Sector.
»90% of transport companies are in an economic situation of total bankruptcy, just as working conditions are completely precarious in every sense. Consequences that are paid directly by all the salaried drivers whom we will defend in the demands demanded,” the transporters denounce from the digital platform.
Other historical associations in the sector, such as the transport employers’ association the National Road Transport Committee (CNTC), the National Federation of Transport Associations of Spain (Fenadismer) and the Spanish Confederation of Freight Transport (CETM), have not yet given the green light to the strike called by the National Platform, which ignores the agreement carried out in December between the sector’s employers and the Government.
“They do not represent us and they laugh at us, that agreement is of no use,” says Miguel Cánovas, member of the Platform.
These are the demands of Platform for Transport and that lead them to call an indefinite strike
These are the demands of Platform for Transport, addressed to both the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Labour, and which lead them to call for an indefinite strike.
The Platform for the Defense of the Transport Sector has called for an indefinite strike starting next Monday, March 14, at a time when increases in fuel costs place company accounts in a critical situation.
This organization defends that the agreements reached by the Government and the National Committee “do not respond to the reality of contracting that small transporters have, since their application is not valid on the conditions that our shippers mostly impose on us.”
In this same sense, the entity defends that the December agreements “benefit the large transport operators, who are the ones that maintain long-term contracts directly with the production centers.”
For these reasons, the association has sent letters to the Ministers of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, and of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, in which they present their requests, which are of great scope, on different fronts, and complexity. technique.
Platform’s claims before the Ministry of Transport
Among them are the prohibition, without the possibility of an agreement to the contrary, or of contractual agreements, of the contracting of road freight transport services below operating costs, limiting intermediation in the transport contract to a single contractor, set a maximum payment period of 30 days, as well as prohibit loading and unloading by drivers without the possibility of agreements or pacts with shippers or recipients.
Likewise, it is also required that a maximum period of one hour be established for the loading and unloading of the vehicles.
trucks, automatic billing of stoppages, the obligation to record in the consignment note the exact time of arrival and departure of vehicles from each loading and unloading area, in addition to the control and monitoring of associated work cooperatives in transport.
Likewise, Platform demands the effective limitation of cabotage, that mailbox companies pay the same taxes as Spanish companies in national transport services, the elimination of transport operator authorizations and changes in the LOTT sanctioning regime.
Finally, it is requested that rest areas for trucks be monitored, that new ones be created in the main transportation corridors, that conditioned and decent spaces be imposed for Drivers in loading and unloading centers, for delivery and pick-up.