Original article: El parche de Kast no convence: camioneros mantienen el paro y Santiago vuelve a las cacerolas

Truckers Continue Strike as Kast’s Proposed Measures Fail to Convince; Santiago Resumes Protests

The patch that José Antonio Kast has attempted to implement to address the conflict triggered by the rise in fuel prices has not satisfied truckers, who announced they will maintain the national strike that began earlier this week. Meanwhile, public discontent is on the rise, as Santiago has witnessed cacerolazos (pot-banging protests) for two consecutive days in response to the President’s management.

Truckers mobilized across various regions of the country were hoping for «concrete responses that would benefit the transporters and the public,» but once again the measures proposed by the president were deemed insufficient and delayed.

On Wednesday, a meeting took place at La Moneda between the Minister of Interior Claudio Alvarado and representatives from the Confederation of Northern Transporters (CTFN) and the Confederation of Central-Southern Truck Owners, which ended without an agreement, after the unions rejected the conditions offered by the government.

“There is no agreement,” stated CTFN President Cristian Sandoval, who confirmed that the mobilization will continue indefinitely.

The leader appreciated the government’s proposal to promote a law for establishing a transportation registry and moving forward with the incorporation of kilometers traveled as a mechanism to set rates according to operational costs.

However, according to Cooperativa, one of the main points of contention was the administration’s proposal to freeze fuel prices for a period of 74 days, which the truckers rejected as inadequate.

According to Sandoval, the union is requesting that the freeze be extended to 120 days and that a reduction in fuel prices be applied simultaneously.

The truckers’ demands include the elimination of the specific tax on fuels, a review of tolls and contracts for concessioned highways, along with changes to the Fuel Price Stabilization Mechanism (Mepco).

For Sandoval, the patch being attempted by Kast involves measures that provide long-term impacts, while the transporters need immediate responses to address the price hikes over the past 7 to 8 months that have increased their operational costs.

He emphasized that everything the government has offered is “for the long term, not for now”.

This situation has led to the strike resulting in partial blockages on Route 5 and Route 68 and includes mobilizations in Santiago, San Antonio, Valparaíso, Talagante, Melipilla, Paine, as well as in the regions of Biobío, Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, O’Higgins, and La Araucanía, among others.

According to the president of the CTFN, there is a need to expedite efforts to receive a response from Kast’s government, especially considering that the President will embark on an official tour to Asia from Friday evening.

“We do not believe Minister Alvarado has been lacking; I think he has been quite objective, but there are other things he does not see and the President is leaving on a trip next week, so we need to hurry,” he affirmed in statements gathered by Cooperativa, while denying that the truckers of the CTNF have caused shortages or roadblocks, stating that drivers have remained aside without obstructing traffic.

“We have not deprived any city of supplies. We have no record from Carabineros that we have been blocking. We are to the side of the road, not closing or blocking,” he emphasized.

Sandoval confirmed that “the strike continues” and that the next actions the truckers might undertake will depend on Kast’s administration’s responses to their demands.

“We need to wait and see if the government will accept the conditions or close off discussions, but we are the ones mobilized and will have to wait patiently if the government wants to talk,” he suggested.

Meanwhile, the president of the Central-Southern Truckers Confederation, Freddy Martínez, also reported that they will remain on strike after failing to reach an agreement with La Moneda, and that the mobilization will continue indefinitely until a “total agreement” is achieved.

Less than 48 hours after Kast announced, right before the start of the truckers’ strike, that he would send a bill to Congress to establish a 20-peso price cap to respond to potential fuel price increases over a 90-day period, the president decided on Wednesday to temporarily withdraw the initiative intended to defuse the protest.

“I cannot be discussing one thing [with the truckers] today and promoting a different one [a bill] in Parliament that could be different,” said Minister Claudio Alvarado regarding this decision.

Santiago Resumes Protests

As negotiations between Kast’s government and the truckers continue to yield no results, public discontent continues to rise.

As seen in videos shared on social media, on Wednesday cacerolazos were reported for the second consecutive day at several locations in Santiago, in protest against the rising fuel prices and the management of the far-right president.

While the truckers continue to protest on the roads and the sound of pots grows louder, Kast insists on his call to «think about Chile» and offers solutions that do not resolve the crisis.

Featured image: Mediabanco.