JUST IN | Government reaches agreement with FEMATRO; transporters strike should end immediately – Carta

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JUST IN | Government reaches agreement with FEMATRO; transporters strike should end immediately – Carta

3:13 CAT | 04 Jul 2022

The Government, through the Ministry of Transport and Communications, has just reached an agreement with FEMATRO, which accepted a proposal that the Executive had presented to it last week. Following this agreement, the carriers’ “strike” must be ended immediately.

Last week, the Mozambican Federation of Road Transporters (FEMATRO) was informed, in different working meetings, of a “cushion” established by the Executive to avoid the transport crisis that Greater Maputo is currently experiencing.

ALSO READ: Mozambique: Maputo passenger transport paralysed – AIM report

The decision, accepted by the President of FEMATRO, Castigo Nhamane, was as follows: The government would accept that carriers increase tariffs, in agreement with the Executive, up to a certain level; the Government would need a few days to determine and transfer to users of semi-public transport, namely those using the “Famba” application or other electronic forms via mobile wallets, a subsidy for them to pay the new prices.

In other words, carriers will continue to operate at market prices, with a new tariff to be approved by the different responsible entities (the amount already agreed between the Government and FEMATRO) depending on the increase in fuel prices last Friday.

The Government decided not to subsidise transporters, but to allocate them a temporary transition fund to guarantee their operations without negative margins. In other words, if the increase in the transport tariff is 5 meticais, that amount is transferred to users, not to the carrier.

ALSO READ: Mozambique to subsidise public transport passengers

The Government, “Carta” has learned, assured FEMATRO that it would compensate carriers for the losses accumulated during the days they will operate with the current tariff.

These offers seem to have been ignored. At least in part. In Maputo, the strike is not widespread. There are transporters circulating, which means that they have positively received the message from the Executive.

This morning, the Government and FEMATRO met again. The transport federation agreed with the proposal and will pass it on to its members, with a view to stopping the “strike”. This means that the current rates will be maintained for a few more days.

ALSO READ: Mozambique: ‘Chapa’ strike in Greater Maputo

Source: Carta de Moçambique