The Canary Islands carriers are considering suspending the planned strike starting next Monday

The Asemtra truckers are holding an assembly today in which they will analyze the willingness of the Government of the Canary Islands to resolve their requests and if this is a "sufficient element" to call off the strike

Canarian carriers will hold an assembly today to decide whether to go ahead with the indefinite strike called starting next Monday (November 28) or,
are canceled by virtue of the "good" predisposition shown by the Government of the Canary Islands to try to provide a solution to their claims.

The truckers of the Association of Merchandise Transport Companies (
asemtra)an organization that is part of the Federation of Transport Entrepreneurs
(FET)met yesterday with the councilor for the area, Sebastián Franquis, in a meeting urgently organized by the latter in an attempt to avoid the strike.

During the meeting, the counselor asked the representatives of Asemtra and the FET,
Roberto Jerez, and Agustin Espinorespectively, the creation of a work group with all the actors involved to negotiate the changes that they demand in the
tachograph use. As will be remembered, the carriers request an exemption from some technical aspects of the tachograph, as it is difficult to comply with in the island territory and which is being translated into
high penalties.

The carriers are in favor of maintaining the tachograph to control working days and rest times but they ask
technical exemptions which, according to what they indicate, would not affect the calculation of working hours at all.

The request of the carriers has generated
discontent among unions who reject any exemption in the use of the tachograph, understanding that what is pursued is to lengthen the working hours of the workers.

Hence, Franquis has proposed the creation of a
work table in which the carriers (companies and self-employed), unions and councils sit down and in which differences are ironed out and progress is made to reach the end of January with a closed agreement among all.
"It's about finding the best solution. that guarantees all of us that the provisions of the law are complied with, with labor legislation and road safety, while the sector can carry out its work in the best conditions," Franquis said in statements to the media after the meeting.

The counselor will begin to hold separate meetings with each of the parties "to find the best solution" for all and then will go to a joint meeting. At the same time, he will analyze with the Ministry of Transport the possibility that the Canary Islands enjoy limitations in the use of the tachograph, since the one who has the last word on this matter is Madrid. “We are going to analyze if the regulation that governs the use of the tachograph allows exemptions as long as its use is respected for the control of working hours and rest times based on the characteristics of this autonomous community that is not the same as the continent. », indicated
franchise.

The counselor was confident that through dialogue and agreement, a
good port and the conflict is resolved.

Franquis's willingness to achieve changes in the use of the tachograph will be analyzed today by the carriers, who will consider whether it is a "sufficient element" to call off the indefinite strike scheduled for Monday. Although neither Espino nor Jerez dared yesterday to assess what the result of the assembly could be due to the
"disparity of opinions" that there is among the carriers, close sources suggest that there is a will to suspend the strike.

As regards the demonstration organized for Monday by means of a
caravan of vehicles it could be kept as a sign of protest and a "warning" that the problems are not solved. In this sense, the Government Delegation had not responded yesterday to the request of the carriers to celebrate it despite the fact that the permit was requested more than a week ago.

On the other hand, Franquis promised to defend in a meeting that will take place next week in Madrid a moratorium for the islands on the obligatory nature of the
ATP refrigerated vehicles to carry out extraordinary inspections. A recent regulatory change forces them to pass them in facilities that do not exist in the archipelago, which forces companies to take their trucks to the peninsula at a cost of up to 8,000 euros. “We are aware that these controls are impossible on the islands and we are going to
raise a waiversaid the counselor.