Cuban taxi drivers threaten to stop for 10 days throughout the island starting December 7

Cuban taxi drivers threaten to stop for ten days throughout the island starting next December 7, when the new self-employment regulations come into force.

The call for the strike, which they have called El Trancón and to which they have had access Cubanet, encourages boat drivers, cooperative drivers, state bus drivers, motorbike drivers, passenger truck drivers and all types of drivers to support the strike.

The idea is to start the strike at the Capitol and hand over the licenses if the Government does not give in to their demands.

In the opinion of the organizers, the authorities do not want to fix the transportation problem on the Island but rather stop "the personal prosperity of the Cuban."

At the heart of the proposal is the reorganization of transportation in Havana by establishing three types of licenses and none of them accommodate transporters, who have been promised reduced prices for spare parts that the Government does not have.

"Transport cooperatives have to buy their parts on the black market at high prices since many parts promised by the state at a reasonable cost never arrive," the call notes.

"Every day we are victims of police corruption and state bureaucracy."

To call off the freedom strike, they ask for a single passenger operating license, that of a free taxi, to be able to operate throughout the country, including tourist enclaves of Varadero, Viñales and Trinidad.

They also demand that they be allowed to use only the fuel they need and thus eliminate the minimum consumption required by the state.

They also demand a salary increase for the state's drivers, "in accordance with the basic needs of human beings."

They also request the guarantee of being able to go to a wholesale market, where prices are in line with what is paid internationally.

Transporters also want to be able to go to the free market, importing parts without having to leave Cuba and paying the corresponding taxes.

In line with these demands is the request to lift the ban so that Cubans inside and outside can invest in the country and have more than one car with an operating transportation license, workers at their own expense and taxes that are not excessive.

Finally, they ask for independent unions to safeguard the interests of workers. "The current union does not work."

With these demands, the transporters assure, the town benefits since the supply would increase and the transportation service would be improved. In this sense, your taxes would serve to maintain Education and Health subsidized by the State.