Spanish truckers plan strikes to push for earlier retirement

A file photo of a truck caravan from Nanclares de la Oca to the headquarters of the Basque Government in Vitoria, in defense of “dignified” transport, called in response to the truck drivers’ strike. | EFE

Inti LandauroMadrid08/10/2024 09:54

Spain's truck and bus drivers will start a series of strikes on October 28 to demand earlier retirement on better conditions, union leaders said on Monday. Truck drivers will walk out on October 28, November 11, November 28, November 29, December 5, December 9, and will begin an indefinite strike on December 23 if their demands are not met, representatives of the country's two main unions, the CCOO and UGT, told a news conference.

The unions demand that drivers' employment conditions such as the retirement age, now at 67, and the right to partial retirement be improved and adjusted to the conditions of other categories of workers who face similar kind of risks than drivers.

"Age is a determining factor in motor skills, sensory and cognitive loss and constitutes a risk not only for the worker but also for the rest of the people," said Diego Buenestado, UGT's secretary for road and urban transportation. A month-long strike by truckers in 2022 brought Spanish supply chains to a halt, caused food shortages, triggered a bout of inflation and hit economic growth.