Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please be informed that as from today, truck drivers started to put blockades at several strategic points of the highways throughout the State of Rio Grande do Sul. It seems that they´re protesting in support of Brazil´s President, although other revindications can be seen at the blockades, such as requesting the State Government to drop the IVA charged on diesel used on the trucks, as they consider it to be abusive.
They´ve not broadcasted any particular time-frame for the movement, but as the highway leading to the port is partly blocked, in spite of highway patrol´s efforts in keeping it open/free, arrival of cargoes to the port has already started suffering delays. Same situation is affecting those cargoes departing from the port, which are being kept stopped at the road. Furthermore, this afternoon (Sept/8th) a few union leaders of truck drivers have promoted a blockade at Rio Grande´s Commercial Wharf main gate, stopping truckers to enter or leave the port area This last movement has started to hamper, a bit, port operations.
As to the other ports in Brazil, all are being affected by their local movements, although truckers´ leaderships have still not come out with specific revindications, neither have informed the time-frame of demonstrations/strike period.
FYG, Federal Highway Patrol has detected some 53 established blockade points at all Brazilian highways and approx. 173 demonstration points, as you verify on below figure:
Where the red flags stands for the blockades organized by truck drivers and the blue flags stand for the concentration points where truck drivers and local people are having demonstrations.
We will keep monitoring this movement and will report again.
Sultrade / Researching Dept.