According to the president of the Balearic Association of Freight Carriers, Ezequiel Horrach, action by hauliers on the mainland meant that 70% of non-perishable goods destined for Mallorca and Balearics on Tuesday remained in Barcelona and Valencia.
Horrach says that "dry product", i.e. non-perishable, did not go on ferries as pickets prevented this. He adds that pickets have also prevented goods from being loaded at industrial estates in various parts of the mainland - Madrid and Seville as well as Barcelona and Valencia. These include goods for the Balearics.
He is expressing his concern as to how the dispute might affect Easter and even the summer season, "as it doesn't look as if it will be resolved in the coming days". Consignments of perishable goods, he explains, are not being blocked, as hauliers are obliged to move them. "The strikers know ministry of transport regulations perfectly well." They would be sanctioned if shipments were prevented.
The president of the Mallorca Chamber of Commerce, Antoni Mercant, says that the current situation is "worrying due to the short-term impact it will have on companies on the islands". Various sectors are affected, such as construction. Mercant stresses that this is a "business strike" to demand a drop in the price of fuel. "Costs are making normal activity unfeasible."
The Balearic government is being criticised by employers for not doing more to prevent goods from staying on the mainland. The regional and national governments need to guarantee the transport of goods to the Balearics or else there will be a shortage of certain products in the coming days and weeks.