Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos calls for the Truckers Association of Colombia to end their strike, saying that the disruption benefits no one, RCN Radio reported Tuesday.
“I reiterate a call to truckers to abandon the paralysis and accept the invitation to dialogue, with the strike nobody wins, everyone loses,” Santos said in a presidential address Monday.
The president restated the government’s desire to negotiate as well as his rejection of the truckers’ use of force instead of dialogue to achieve their needs.
The Colombian government will meet with the ACC Wednesday in attempt to put an end to the strike which has halted freight transport throughout the nation.
“This Wednesday there will be another meeting a the political table, with all the industry representatives; the proposals and suggestions of the unions will define the different scenarios for cost model parameters,” Deputy Minister of Transport Felipe Targa told Caracol Radio.
The ACC, which represents 180,000 truck drivers, began a strike Thursday at 12AM over government plans for free-market reforms that would eliminate the years-old policy of setting minimum freight rates that truckers are guaranteed.