Over 1,900 customs officials across the country were striking over allegations that the government has failed to honour previous agreements on pay and working conditions. The dispute has spanned several years, with previous strikes held last year in October and November.
Concerns over the impact on the freight and transport industries were voiced prior to the strike. President of Bolivia’s Heavy Transport Chamber, Gustavo Rivadeneira, said: “We are again concerned [by] the strike that customs officials have announced. This conflicts with the provision of the international cargo service and causes great economic losses to our transport sector and to importers and exporters.”
After a five-day strike, an agreement was reached with the government. All Chilean ports, airports and borders in the country have now returned to normal operations, with some initial delays in customs clearance occurring, including at the Port of Valparaiso, San Antonio and Santiago International airport, all of which are now being cleared.causes great economic losses to our transport sector and to importers and exporters.”
