The government has intervened in the conflict that kept the fuel carriers and the fuel distributors at odds since Friday, 12 April. The parties will now sit down to talks aimed at finding a solution. Yesterday, Monday 15 April the Minister of Industry and Commerce Jose del Castillo Savinon met with the management of the Dominican Petroleum Refinery (Refidomsa) and representatives of the Autonomous Union of Transport Drivers for Petroleum and its Products (SACTPA) to work out a settlement.
Diario Libre quotes union general secretary Clemente Morillo, who announced the end to the strike before noon yesterday, Monday 15 April and said that fuel distribution had resumed normally. He revealed that in addition a meeting – agreed to during the meeting – with government authorities on Wednesday 17 April at 3pm. “We have reached an agreement to have a waiting period with the Minister (of Industry and Commerce),” he said. A collective agreement that includes a salary increase, along with other demands, is what the fuel haulers are seeking. This is the reason that they decided to halt the movement of fuel to retail stations around the country, causing shortages over the weekend.