Today’s action is being held under the slogan “SOS Transport: the transport sector says Enough is enough”. The protest will see a convoy of trucks amass on key streets in Madrid as well as some other Spanish cities.
The convoy will begin at the IFEMA area in the north-east of the city at 11am. The trucks will then cross the M-11 highway until reaching the north junction of the M-30, before moving onto Paseo de la Castellana so as to pass in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport. After making their voices heard there, the convoy will wind its way through some more city centre streets before returning to the M-30.
The protest follows a series of unsuccessful negotiations between the governing authorities and representatives from the road transport sector. A strike has been called for December 20th, 21st and 22nd in the event the government fails to meet the demands of hauliers.
Among other things, the haulage sector wants to see a ban on drivers conducting loading and unloading, a reduction in RDC waiting times, actions to address rising fuel costs, the scrapping of motorway tolls for lorries, as well as a cut in the national insurance contributions drivers make. The full list of demands can be found on the FENADISMER website.
Photo: José Luis Gálvez, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
