Distribution Business Articles

As a strike loomed in Portugal last month, the impact was expected but not necessarily feared.

PORTUGAL: Trucker Strike Expected To Cause Shortages

The current strike by Portuguese truckers, who are protesting against rising oil prices, has prompted retailers in the country to warn of shortages of staple goods. The transport operators in Portugal started their strike at midnight on 9 June.
Jeronimo Martins said its stores could be affected, and went on to blame the government for not protecting its drivers, who the retailer said wanted to work, but were being prevented by picket lines of striking truckers. The retailer said supplies to its Pingo Doce chain could be interrupted, and they the supermarkets will soon show a lack of some products, especially fresh foods. Yesterday, a police escort accompanied several of the company's delivery trucks, travelling from Azambuja to Aveiras da Cima, through the blockade of truck drivers.
Rival chain Os Mosqueteiros said its stores had been stable in terms of products in stock, but it added that if the strike continued for the next three or four days, it may start experiencing shortages

NAMNEWS

Running blockades to protect things such as market inventories to prevent shortages seems almost normal, but these strikes are still just the threat and not the real thing driven by the failure of finding any other options.  Fuel prices are driving the strike here, but not forcing the strike.  So people may delay a garden decor purchase but entire cities are not running out of food.