The transportation stoppage threatens to affect the consumers. Although there are no recorded situations of shortage widespread in Spain, the tension between the transport professionals It already forces manufacturers and distributors to take urgent solutions to minimize the impact on the supply chain of products. Carriers demand automatic compensation for the rise in fuel and direct aid.
The organizations of the large consumption sector integrated in the association Aecoc warn that the transport stoppage requires a “maximum urgency” solution, considering that “it is already a state problem“. Aecoc, which brings together more than 30,000 companies, considers that the callers of the strike are “coercing the rest of the sectors” and that the conflict already threatens production, which is why “more than 100,000 jobs are in danger”.
The company danone He came to warn “of an imminent rupture of supply throughout Spain” and that if an agreement is not reached between the organizers and the Government, it could paralyze the activity of its four dairy plants in Spain and three other water bottlers. Other dairy firms like Paschal they recognize problems in the distribution to the trade without reaching situations of collapse, with more incidents in the north of Spain and Andalusia “which are solved in each case”.
The general manager of the supermarket association handles, Ignacio García Magarzo, acknowledges that the current situation “puts the supply chain at risk” and that if it continues it will force distribution chains to “seek alternatives”. It is not ruled out, however, that “some products are going to be missing from the shelves,” he acknowledges. For Mauricio García de Quevedo, general director of the Fiab food and beverage manufacturers’ association, “the conflict has ceased to be a labor issue and has become a state issue that threatens supply and the economy.” “Companies in the sector have communicated that they are going to have to stop their production and others will do so shortly if merchandise does not arrive,” García assured.
The Platform for the Defense of the National and International Road Freight Transport Sector maintains the strike call until it is accepted by the Government to negotiate. This organization is not part of the National Committee for Road Transport (CNTC)which brings together 11 employers in the sector and is the sector’s interlocutor in negotiations with the Government.
The Executive has promised to compensate the increase in the price of fuel with an item of 500 million euros. The date to know the exact breakdown of this aid is Friday, March 25. the bosses Fenadismer He recognized that since this distribution of aid has not yet been specified, there are no reasons to calm the tension between the carriers, which in practice has fueled the conflict. The CNTC considers that transport companies already have the tools to be able to pass on costs, such as the mandatory revision clause of the variation in fuel prices, which will now be updated weekly, for which reason it urges to abandon the mobilizations and reinforce professionals in the negotiation.
convoys
The mobilization of carriers has had more impact than could be assumed by the representative nature of the Platform. Few trucks are capable of blocking roads or access to key logistics infrastructure. This is the case of the ports, which have been affected in their operations to the point of bordering on the blockade, especially in the case of Bilbao or Gijón. In the case of Barcelona’s port, the action of the pickets meant restricting the exit of containers, although sources from companies in the port area assured that they were able to remove merchandise almost normally. To avoid problems, some loading companies acknowledged that convoys of vehicles were established with route notification to Mossos and the Civil Guard to avoid blockades.
Some production lines Nestle in Girona were affected by transport stoppages. The protests had a special follow-up in the north, which affected the Nestlé plants in La Penilla -located in Cantabria and specialized in dairy products and chocolate- or Pontecesures -located in Galicia and specialized in dairy products-. The Herrera del Duque plant (Extremadura) also had supply problems. The multinational factory in Girona, where it employs 800 workers, had problems in some production lines for Dolce Gusto capsules (coffee and dairy) due to a lack of packaging cases. Another affected product is Nescafe. The company had to find an alternative supplier for the packaging, reports Gabriel Ubieto.
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The distribution chains they are reluctant to communicate the specific supply problems they experience, since they all compete to fill their shelves with alternative suppliers. The products with the most problems are sunflower oil and the milkbut there are also supply difficulties cookies and pastries. Even amazon informs that the availability of food products on its website may be limited. In the case of Prime one-day shipments, the buyer is also warned that they are moving to two-day delivery.
The lack of fish Mercabarna estimated at 10% may be more attributable to the storm than to transportation problems. In any case, in the wholesale market they recognized 20% less product. the consultant nielson estimates that product sales in supermarkets have increased by around 23%, especially noticeable in items with long expiration dates.