Truck drivers’ unions in Brazil are advocating for a strike as early as this week after the recent jump in \u200bdiesel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East, \u200ca union head said on Tuesday, March 18.<\/p>\n
A truckers’ strike could have dire consequences for Brazil, if it is widespread, as the country is heavily reliant on the drivers to \u200btransport products across the country and into ports.<\/p>\n
In 2018, a \u200bmassive truckers’ strike brought the country to a halt for \u2060about 10 days with numerous road blockades. As diesel prices surge, calls for \u200ba strike have taken shape, but without clear dates or any signal \u200bof the adherence level.<\/p>\n
“It’s a fight for survival,” Wallace Landim, head of truckers’ union Abrava told Reuters in an interview, adding a strike could kick off this week.<\/p>\n
The \u200baverage price of S-10 diesel, the most widely sold type in \u200bBrazil, has risen around 19% nationwide since February 28, when the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran \u200cbegan and \u2060lifted global oil prices, data from payments firm ValeCard showed on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
It is not the first time since 2018 that drivers have attempted a wide strike, but Landim said past attempts were politically driven while now \u200btruck drivers are \u200bfeeling “the same pain \u2060we felt in 2018.”<\/p>\n
In a bid to soften the impact of higher global oil prices on consumers, President \u200bLuiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government scrapped taxes on diesel \u200blast week, \u2060and Brazil’s oil regulator launched an operation to combat fuel price gouging.<\/p>\n
But it is unclear whether the government’s efforts will be enough to prevent truck \u2060drivers \u200bfrom turning off their vehicles.<\/p>\n
“Truck drivers are \u200bat their limit,” said Carlos Alberto, a director at CNTTL, a transport workers’ union, in a \u200bstatement.<\/p>\n
Reporting by Alberto Alerigi for Reuters<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n