Frutas de Chile welcomes the agreement reached between the parties
The nine-day strike by truck drivers at the Port of Antonio ended on Friday after the transport association reached an agreement with cargo companies to be compensated for rising operating and input costs.
Transport operators agreed to unblock off-port storage facilities after securing improvements in rates, access to contracts, and Corfo credit facilities.
The industrial action had raised alarms within the fruit export sector, as it coincided with the start of the export season for cherries and other seasonal fruits. The walkout forced the season’s first Cherry Express vessel to divert to the Port of Valparaíso, in order to avoid delays in shipments to international markets.
Welcoming the deal, Iván Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile – which played an active role in negotiations – said it paved the way for normal operations to resume at San Antonio.
“This is a very important step for our industry, especially during a key period for Chilean fruit exports,” he said. “We hope that the remaining storage facility will soon join the agreement, thereby safeguarding the continuity of the logistics chain and ensuring we meet our commitments to international markets.”
The three main pillars agreed upon by the parties were: an immediate 8 per cent increase to cargo transport rates; the introduction of an indexing formula in future price revisions; and allowing independent transport operators to participate as direct bidders in tenders and contracts managed by companies within the province.
Additionally, truckers will receive financial support measures aimed at ensuring the sector’s sustainability.
Finally, the agreement included a commitment from the local port authority to implement a mandatory rChegistration system. Through this proactive registry, the flow of traffic toward the terminals will be monitored, and the entry of unregistered trucks will be prohibited. With the clearing of the access routes to the depots, land-based operations at the San Antonio logistics hub began the process of returning to normal that same day.
