Uruguayan President Meets Truckers, Strike Ends After Proposal

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi met with representatives from the professional freight transport and agricultural sectors on Friday, receiving a proposal outlining 11 measures aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of both industries. The meeting, which lasted about two hours, concluded with the self-convoked truckers lifting their strike and partial road blockades.

Sources from the transport sector told El País that Orsi first requested an update on the current situation and the main challenges facing the industry. He then reviewed the 11-point document, titled "Proposal of 11 points for the competitiveness of Uruguayan freight transport and agriculture," with the delegation.

The proposal includes urgent measures such as the free float of the exchange rate, a tax credit regime for diesel fuel consumption, expanded VAT deduction mechanisms for fuels, and changes to transport-related subsidies. It also calls for reduced taxes on fuels used by agricultural producers, restructuring of patent systems, elimination of the electronic freight transport guide, and a shift in road inspection focus towards safety rather than revenue collection.

Among other points, the document suggests stabilizing fuel and rural electricity prices, legally defining the scope of drivers' tasks, and enabling direct import of diesel and lubricants for cooperatives and SMEs under customs control. In exchange for initiating dialogue, the transporters expressed willingness to immediately lift "slowdown measures" and partial road blockades, requesting a temporary reduction in fuel prices while their proposals are studied.