Inflation: Governments worldwide face growing pressure to respond
From www.csmonitor.com
2021-12-18 18:40:22
Joseph Wilson
Excerpt:
Barcelona, Spain
Óscar Baños and thousands of fellow truck drivers celebrated Saturday after a threat to idle their engines pushed the Spanish government to adopt measures improving work conditions and checking skyrocketing fuel costs driven by inflation.
It’s the latest effort by workers, opposition leaders, and citizens to pressure governments from Europe to the Americas to intervene as surging consumer prices squeeze households and businesses.
Mr. Baños loves hauling freight across Spain as his father did before him, but he was ready to lose much-needed cash during a three-day work stoppage just before Christmas. After days of negotiations, the truck companies called off the Monday-to-Wednesday action after Spain’s transport ministry agreed to demands that include controls to help cushion the blow of rising diesel costs.
“I spent 1,500 euros ($1,694) more in October for the same liters of diesel than I had the year before,”…