Minister defended response measures from the federal government and suggested that the strike movement has political objectives
The Minister of Institutional Relations, (PT), said this Wednesday (18 March 2026) that politicians are manipulating truck drivers to provoke a strike in the category, which has been threatening a strike for the last 2 days in protest against the rise in fuel prices.
In a video published on social media, Gleisi declared that the federal government is already taking measures to prevent abuses in fuel prices and intends to severely punish gas stations and distributors that “attack the popular economy”passing on to the consumer the price of diesel caused by
“The warning also applies to those who are trying to manipulate truck drivers with political and electoral objectives. The same people who tried to stop the country’s highways in 2022 to prevent President Lula from taking office and support a coup by Bolsonaro, are now encouraging a political strike by truck drivers”declared the minister, without mentioning the names of politicians or authorities.
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Groups representing truck drivers from different regions of Brazil are meeting this Wednesday (18 March) and will await the publication of a normative instrument promised by the federal government before declaring a possible strike. The category expects progress in negotiations with the Executive.
The impasse revolves around compliance with the minimum road freight minimum and the reinforcement of inspection. The Minister of Transport, (MDB), said earlier that the government is preparing new regulations for companies that regularly cheat the freight table.
The category representatives will meet again on Thursday (19 March 2026) to decide whether the government’s proposal meets their demands. Otherwise, the tendency is for a strike to be declared.
