2024-09-01 06:57:36
Transporters are against the increases in the price of diesel fuel announced by the Minister of Finance, Ricardo Bonilla, which affect different sectors of the national economy.
HUILA DAILY, CURRENT NEWS
Today, August 30, freight and transport carriers in Colombia will carry out a national march in response to the government’s decision on the price of diesel, which has generated great controversy and threatens to alter the economic stability of the sector.
The protests, which will include peaceful caravans in several cities across the country, have as their main objective to express their discontent with the recent announcement by the Minister of Finance, Ricardo Bonilla, on the gradual increase in the price of Acpm (diesel) by $2,000 every six months, until reaching a total of $6,000 additional by the year 2024. This measure, which the government justifies as necessary to correct what they consider an “imaginary inflation”, has been harshly criticized by the transporters’ union, who see this increase as a direct blow to their operating costs and the competitiveness of their sector.
Ricardo Bonilla was blunt in his statement, saying that “there will be no agreement”, which has unleashed a wave of indignation among truck drivers, who believe that the government has not taken into account the serious economic repercussions that this measure could have on their activity and the economy in general. According to the minister, the adjustment is a response to an inflation that “can only be resolved in the real world”, but the transporters believe that this reality will deeply affect their profession, even leading to possible paralysis of their activity.
In response, Henry Cárdenas, president of Fedetranscarga, confirmed that the mobilizations will take place today, August 30, at multiple meeting points throughout the country. In statements to Red+ Noticias, Cárdenas stressed that the union has exhausted all possible avenues of dialogue with the government, and that the march is a last effort to be heard. “We are going to hold a large march throughout the country, as a sign of protest and as a call to the National Government to reconsider this measure in these critical moments,” he said.
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For his part, Alfonso Medrano, president of the Inter-Union Chamber of Transport (Unidos), explained that the protests will take place in various regions of the country, with concentrations in strategic points such as Bogotá (El Playón de Fontibón), Cali (Cencar), Barranquilla (Vía 40), Pereira (Ruleta la Romelia), Ocaña (Alcolsure), Pasto (Chapal), Villavicencio (Estacionamiento Pacífico), Popayán (La Variante), Cartagena (La Variante), Bucaramanga (Puerta del Sol), and Ipiales (Los Chilcos), among others. In addition, other cities such as Pitalito, Tunja, Neiva, Yopal, Cúcuta and Duitama could also join the day of protests, although the logistical details are still being confirmed.
Truckers are not only concerned about the direct impact this measure will have on their operations, but also about the broader consequences for the national economy. In a statement issued by Unidos, it was emphasized that the stability of the diesel price in previous years has been key to avoiding a greater economic contraction in the country. “The 42 billion pesos not accrued in the price of fuel between 2021 and 2023, covered by cash movements or cross-accounting between the Ministry of Finance and Ecopetrol, were not transferred to the transportation sector or other productive activities. This has prevented the economy from contracting more than it already has,” the statement said, highlighting the importance of maintaining affordable fuel prices in a country where per capita income is significantly lower than in regions such as the Gulf of Mexico in the United States.
This national truckers’ strike could have significant repercussions not only on mobility, but also on the supply of goods throughout the country. The cities selected as meeting points will play a crucial role in spreading discontent and putting pressure on the government to reconsider this policy of increasing the price of diesel, an essential fuel for the functioning of the transport sector and, therefore, the national economy. The transport unions hope that this day of mobilization will make the government listen to their concerns and re-evaluate a measure that they consider deeply unfair and harmful.
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