SAO PAULO, March 17 - Leaders of Brazil's truck drivers' unions are urging members to prepare for a strike that could start as early as this week, following a steep increase in diesel prices linked to the Middle East conflict, a union official said on Tuesday.
Truckers play a central role in Brazil's domestic supply chain, moving goods across vast distances and feeding cargo into the country's ports. A broad stoppage could therefore produce serious disruption nationwide. The memory of a large-scale truckers' strike in 2018 remains vivid: that action lasted about 10 days and included widespread road blockades that brought many economic activities to a near halt.
Calls for industrial action have grown as the average price of S-10 diesel - the leading diesel grade sold across Brazil - has climbed roughly 19% nationwide since February 28, when the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began and pushed up global oil prices, according to data provided by a payments firm on Tuesday.
Wallace Landim, who heads the truckers' union Abrava, characterized the situation bluntly, saying:
and warning that"Its a fight for survival,"
a strike could kick off this week.
Landim contrasted current motivations with past attempts at large strikes, saying earlier efforts were politically motivated while the present movement is driven by economic strain, with drivers reporting they are experiencing "the same pain we felt in 2018."
In response to rising global oil costs, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government removed taxes on diesel last week and Brazil's oil regulator launched an operation aimed at curbing fuel price gouging. Officials have presented these measures as efforts to limit the impact of higher oil prices on consumers.
However, it remains unclear whether those steps will be sufficient to avert labor action. Union voices say drivers are at a breaking point. Carlos Alberto, a director at transport workers' union CNTTL, summed up the sentiment in a statement:
"Truck drivers are at their limit."
At present, no firm dates for a strike have been set and there is no clear indication of how many drivers would join any possible stoppage. Organizers have signaled readiness, but the level of adherence across the sector and the geographic spread of any action remain unknown.
What to watch next: whether union leaders announce specific strike dates; whether the government's tax and regulator moves slow further fuel price increases; and the degree of participation among drivers, which will determine the scale of disruption to logistics, agribusiness and port operations.