"Don't worry, the transport is working normally." The Government emphasizes that the first hours of the indefinite strike by part of the truck drivers have not affected the sectors that are on guard. Especially that of distribution, which certifies that the supply chain continues to operate like any other Monday and that, therefore, there is no risk of shortages like those that occurred in March.
Violent incidents during these early stages have been few and insignificant. In general, the State security forces and bodies have transferred normality situations in nodes, logistics centers and communication routes. It has only reported the tire fire in Algeciras, four tractor heads in Villaescusa (Cantabria), which are already being investigated, and some punctures in Illescas (Toledo), official sources from the Ministry of the Interior report.
The Police and the Civil Guard have also informed the department led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska that the accesses to all the large logistics centers and hydrocarbon infrastructures are working normally. In Transport, where they were mobilized from the first hour, they also convey a sense of serenity on the roads and distribution centers.
The main supermarket chains, such as Mercadona, Carrefour, Dia or Alcampo, among others, also speak of "absolute normality". In this sense, the only “minor” information pickets have been registered in MercaJerez. Pickets are not allowed in this work stoppage, so the security forces have moved quickly to deactivate them. In the ports, the distribution sources stand out, the accesses have not had any problem. Nor at the borders.
The Ministry of the Interior is getting involved with a special device during this strike. At 9:30 a.m., a new Coordination Center was held at its headquarters in Madrid, chaired by the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, and in which all the security forces and ministries and administrations involved participated.
One of the sensitive infrastructures, which could be blocked by the callers of the strike, were the ports. The Civil Guard has been involved in some of them, such as, for example, in Cádiz, to guarantee that the trucks that wish to work do so. In Mercamadrid, a nerve center in the capital, several intervention units of the National Police have been deployed to keep the large market running.
The organizers of the strike, the Platform for the Defense of Road Transport, which calls for greater sanctions for companies that force them to work at a loss, began a demonstration at 10:30 this morning in the center of Madrid that began in the roundabout of Carlos V. Official government sources point out that the concentrations are barely several hundred people, as can be seen in the aerial images. Police sources speak of about 1,200. Other groups have joined the march in recent hours, but the majority transport associations continue to maintain their opposition to stopping.
