Copyright © 2021 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Russia’s truckers win biggest victory yet: Daghestan to press for repeal of Plato System

Russia's striking long-haul truckers (Image: rferl.org)
Edited by: A. N.

Parliamentarians of the North Caucasus Republic of Daghestan, which has been the center of the long-haul truckers strike, plan to call on the Russian State Duma to repeal the Plato transportation toll system that the drivers oppose, according to prime minister Abdusamad Gamidov.

Gamidov’s words are likely intended to reduce the pressure the truckers have put on Makhachkala and to show Moscow that the republic authorities are trying to find a way to end the strike which has paralyzed much of the long-haul traffic in the southern portions of the Russian Federation.

And they do not mean by themselves that the Russian Duma in Moscow will agree to this step. Nonetheless, this represents a significant victory for the long-haul drivers because the republic government will find it very difficult to back down from its promise regardless of what the central Russian government does.

Indeed, it could set the stage for a situation in which Daghestani officials would simply ignore Moscow’s demands to collect the Plato road tolls lest they provoke an even larger labor action by the drivers, an outcome that would certainly inspire long haul truckers in other parts of the country to adopt the same strategy.

The Daghestani prime minister also promised to improve the operation of the republic’s only weigh station and to raise the issue of taxes on gasoline in Moscow, two of the truckers’ other demands. In short, Makhachkala which for so long had refused even to meet with the drivers has now agreed to be their spokesman and representative in the Russian capital.

Meanwhile, there have been two other reports about the truckers strike today that deserve broader attention. According to the first, Kabardino-Balkarskaya Pravda reports federal officials have issued more than 500 fines to truckers for failing to sign up with the Plato system.

And according to the second, which provides additional details on the First Congress of Yakutsk Long-Haul Truckers that took place earlier, that meeting featured heated protests by the 300 delegates about the Plato system despite earlier reports that officials had managed to refocus the session on other issues.

But perhaps the most fateful statement at the meeting came from one long-haul trucker who said that the authorities had best address the drivers’ objections to the Plato system and other regulations or they will face the likelihood that many villages and even cities in Russia’s Far North will not get the food supplies in they will need to survive next winter.


 

Edited by: A. N.
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!
Total
0
Shares
Related Posts