Chile's finance minister, Jorge Quiroz, said on Wednesday that the government had no new measures to offer striking truck drivers who have blocked depots at the port of San Antonio since 28 October, The Rio Times reports. He said the state remained open to talks and urged firms hiring trucks to take account of higher fuel costs when setting freight rates.
The owner-drivers' association, which hauls containers between the port and nearby depots, is blocking the entrances to seven depots and terminals with about 250 trucks, and says hundreds of containers have been held up. Its leaders say the action will continue until shipping lines and other cargo owners pay more. According to the minister, diesel costs around 900 pesos a litre more than in March. San Antonio is a key outlet for Chilean exports such as fruit and wine.
Source: The Rio Times
