The natives charge the consortium with trying to divide the Indians to take their lands. Last week a national three-day truckers strike took place in Uruguay. The truckers protested road taxes that make it almost impossible to operate in the region. The tax affects 25,000 truckers. The strikers are also demanding reductions in their contributions to social security.
Many truckers are heavily in debt.
The government of President Sanguinetti has encouraged them to borrow to improve their equipment, so that Uruguay's truckers could compete with their Mercosur rivals. With the economic downturn, the truckers are in a precarious situation. By last Sunday night the truckers began to assemble on the roads to the main ports. Nearly 15,000 trucks were lined up to make a 500 kilometer road block. After three days the strike organizers declared that the protest had been a success.