‘Truck driver doesn’t even have time for lunch, let alone to strike’, says leader

Representatives of self-employed truck drivers say that the category did not join the “general strike” that was being called by bolsonaristas for this Monday (7) and say that the flow on the highways throughout the day was normal, without blockages or demonstrations that disturbed the deliveries.

Daniel Reis de Paula, known as Queixada, is president of the truck drivers association in Oliveira (MG) and says he has not been aware of any strike or strike. “I’m in Belo Horizonte and, at least here, there’s nothing going on,” he said earlier this Monday night.

According to him, self-employed truck drivers are not involved in the undemocratic acts carried out by supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) who occupied highways in several Brazilian states in protest against the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the second round of elections.

“Those who are on strike are big businessmen, including those in the transport sector,” he says. “A self-employed person doesn’t even have time to stop for lunch, let alone to strike,” she says.

Anti-democratic acts have been losing strength since the end of last week, but there are still records of occasional blockades across the country. On Monday night, there were obstructions on federal highways in four states: Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Pará and Paraná.

The general strike called by Bolsonaristas, on the other hand, had stoppages located in the South and Midwest of the country, in addition to fake news about the company that would have joined and the use of videos of the acts of September 7. An invitation to the movement with an air of lockout (company strike, currently prohibited by law) circulated on social networks and in WhatsApp and Telegram groups, asking for the adhesion of entrepreneurs.

“Close your company, industry, factory and commerce and we will fight against the installation of communism”, read the summons distributed last Friday (4).

Carlos Alberto Litti Dahmer, director of the CNTTL (National Confederation of Transport and Logistics Workers), said he was not aware of any strike movements. Like Queixada, he points out that there is no involvement of self-employed truck drivers in recent anti-democratic acts.

“Within the truck drivers category, it was the large companies that were present [nos atos iniciados após o resultado das eleições presidenciais]. Carriers and big businessmen. The self-driving truck driver who was on the highways got stuck [nos bloqueios]”, he says.

In his view, anti-democratic movements are not the agenda of an economic category, but of citizens who do not accept the result of the election. “Once the election is over and a certain candidate has won the majority of votes, you have to accept it. This is called democracy,” he says.

Plínio Dias, president of the CNTRC (National Council for Road Cargo Transport), also says he doesn’t know about leaders in the category who are participating in the blockades or the general strike. “Today [segunda], which was supposed to close everything, I didn’t see any manifestation of a truck driver. I left with my truck from Curitiba, I went to Paranaguá [ambos no PR], I loaded the truck and I’m coming back. I didn’t see any protests,” he says.

A similar report is made by Marcelo da Paz, a truck driver who works in the Port of Santos (SP) region. According to him, there was a driver who left Santos this Monday, crossed the state of São Paulo until arriving in Mato Grosso, and is already returning without reports of interventions on the lanes.

He points out that the category has no involvement with roadblocks, nor does it condone anti-democratic demonstrations. “Our understanding is that the vote of the people is sovereign,” he says. “We respect democracy, President Lula won because he had the most votes.”

The acts against democracy began because bolsonaristas do not accept the result of the elections that gave Lula victory and ask for military intervention. Last Wednesday night (2), Bolsonaro published a video on his social networks in which he asks his supporters to clear the highways that are obstructed.

“I want to appeal to you: clear the highways, this is not, in my opinion, part of these legitimate demonstrations. We are not going to lose our legitimacy here,” he says. “Protest otherwise, in other places, that this is very welcome, it’s part of our democracy.”

The action of bolsonaristas caused inconvenience throughout the country and even brought a shortage of products – especially food – in some locations.