Lisbon, Portugal – Earlier this month, a coalition of truck drivers from Portugal carried out a strike to protest low wages and unfair working conditions in the country. The strike officially began on Monday, August 12th, with hundreds of workers taking to the streets to demand better conditions. In particular, they pressured the government to increase the basic pay for truck drivers from 630 to 900 euros a month ($1,007 USD). The coalition of drivers consists of several unions, such as the National Union of Hazardous Drivers and the Independent Union of Goods Drivers. Combined, both of these groups contain upwards of a thousand members.

After several days of protests, government institutions formally declared an energy crisis due to the rise in food shortages and petrol stations running out of fuel. In fact, by the fifth day of protests, 26% of the gas stations in Portugal had run out of fuel.

Eventually, the government caved in and began providing emergency services such as exclusive fueling stations for government officials, armed forces, ambulances, civil servants, and public transports. They also instituted a limit of 15 liters per purchase for the general public at several gas stations.

On August 20th, after eight days of continuous protesting, the strikers came to an agreement with the government, led by socialist Prime Minister António Costa. They agreed to stop the protests and to cease the energy crisis in exchange for higher wages by 2022.

While the strike is officially over, some members of the unions, including Francisco São Bento, president of the National Union of Hazardous Drivers, claim that the fight is far from over. “The working conditions are horrific,” Bento said in an interview. The union has already filed a notice for another strike starting on September 7th, this time demanding an end to overtime work.

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