George Mathias
AS supermarket shelves begin to empty relieved Balearic bosses have managed to avert threatened truckers’ strike that would have hit deliveries.
The Balearic government and transport association have agreed to call off a strike planned for March 28.
Nationwide strikes have been causing chaos on the mainland in recent weeks, with the Balearic administration concerned they could spill over to the Balaerics, causing severe disruption to food supplies.
There are already shortages of a number of products in supermarket chains on the islands.
Supplies of chicken, fish, oil and dairy products are particularly low.
According to some of the biggest chains, the shortages are worse than at any time during the pandemic.
Bartolome Servera, the president of the distributors association in the Balearics, said that if strikes continue, food supplies could only be guaranteed for between 15 to 20 days.
Truck drivers had threatened strikes akin to those witnessed on the mainland unless their demands for lower taxes and lighter regulations were met.
But consumers will be relieved to learn that the employers’ association agreed to a deal on Wednesday to cancel the strike following an agreement which will see increased subsidies of €5.5 million for around 7,000 public freight transport drivers.
The Balearic government meanwhile has said basic food supplies will be guaranteed, despite the ongoing disruption.
On Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez approved a €500 million cash injection to help combat soaring fuel prices, one of the reasons thousands of truckers have resorted to industrial action, but stopped short of agreeing to their demand of freezing VAT on fuel.
Rising energy and fuel costs have been seen across much of the EU, made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some of the strike action has turned violent with Transport Minister Raquel Sanchez describing the protest a “boycott linked to far-right groups”.
This was denied by Jose Hernandez, a truck driver made unemployed earlier this month and one of the key organisers of the strikes who said: “We are a bipartisan group of honest workers. Diesel is the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
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