Transport strike puts Petro’s government in check

This Tuesday, September 3, Colombia woke up to the closure of roads due to the truckers’ strike that persisted in all regions of Colombia, due to the increase in the price of ACPM (Diesel) and puts the increase and also the economic mobility of an entire country at risk.

Blockades, road closures and some protests are the general balance of the strike in Colombia, from the Via al Llano, the entrance and exit of Bogotá, the highway that connects with Villavicencio, likewise, regional media reported blockades in Santander, where the access roads to the Palonegro airport in the capital of Santander were closed and on the Bucaramanga-Bogotá road. In Boyacá it is known that the Tunja road remains inaccessible, blockades were also reported on the access roads.

Various media outlets have reported on the effects of citizens who have been trapped in the roadblocks and have had difficulty getting to work.

At the border, public transport trucks and buses blocked Villa del Rosario and thus the city of Cúcuta woke up without public transport and only with taxi service.

Government activated Unified Command Post to contain crisis caused by roadblocks in the country

Despite all the blockades at the national level, the Government has stated that it will not lower diesel prices. The Minister of Transport, María Constanza García, called for dialogue and held a meeting with the transporters, although she continues to defend the price increase and maintained that it was a necessary increase for the country. So far, the Government has made it clear that this increase is not negotiable, and it was precisely what prevented an agreement with the truckers.

The Unified Command Post involves the Ministry of Mines, Finance and Transportation, who seek the negotiation strategy and monitor the situation of the roads in real time, which began last Friday, August 30, when freight transporters took to the streets in several cities of the country to protest against the increase in the price of a gallon of ACPM, which will rise by $1,900 and reach an average of $11,360 in the 13 main cities of the country, and only in Medellín, specifically, the price went from $9,777 to $11,680 per gallon.

The people and the government speak out, showing opposing positions

Colombians are speaking out against the increase in Bogotá and other cities across the country, while the national government continues to defend the increase and says it is not negotiable.

In addition to the Minister of Transport, the Minister of the Interior, Juan Fernando Cristo, who is from Cucuta and is part of the dynamics of the border, spoke out and assured that this is not the best way to protest against this measure.

“That is not the case. The truckers’ strike in Bogotá and nationwide is causing difficulties in mobility, the arrival of medical services and affecting girls and boys who travel on school routes. The protest is legitimate when it respects the rights of all,” Cristo expressed on his X account.

Prosecutors will take action against truck drivers

After four hours of meetings between the Ministries of Transport and Finance and truck drivers’ leaders, no definitive agreement has been reached to end the blockades that are taking place in various parts of the country. A representative of the dialogue table, on behalf of the truck drivers, stated that at 5:00 pm they will resume the negotiation table and if no agreement is reached, the blockades will continue.

It was announced that humanitarian corridors will be allowed for ambulances, firefighters, senior citizens and others related to emergencies, in addition to school vehicles, only if students are being transported inside.

From the Unified Command Post, the Attorney General’s Office warned that leaders of the truckers’ strike could be investigated for the blockades. From the bunker, they are studying the possibility of opening investigations. “It is a constitutional duty, that is in article 250, it is an obligation that the Attorney General’s Office has. We understand the problem that there is with the strike itself, and the idea is to intervene assertively,” explained the official responsible for the regulatory body.

In this way, the mobility situation is still uncertain and if the National Government does not reach an agreement, the Strike will continue throughout the Colombian territory.

For the Andes newspaper; Norbey Rodriguez_

@norveyrodriguez

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