by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

Spanish labour unions CCOO and UGT have announced a general strike in the road transport sector, set to begin on 28 October.

According to local news, the strikes will continue on key dates in the country, such as Black Friday, the long weekend in December, and potentially throughout the Christmas period.

This decision was revealed during a press conference in Madrid, where union representatives explained that the strike aims to push for the regulation of early retirement for professional drivers.

There are approximately 250,000 salaried truck drivers in Spain, but the unions expect that self-employed drivers will join the strike, potentially increasing the number to 500,000.

Overall, 70% of employees in the sector are represented by UGT or CCOO.

The unions have criticised the Government and employers for consistently blocking their demands to lower the retirement age for drivers. They highlighted that this issue has been raised for 20 years and has seen no progress for over a decade.

The strike will occur on 28 October, 11, 28, and 29 November, 5 and 9 December, and will become indefinite from 23 December. The unions have stated that they have exhausted all other measures to avoid the strike, including discussions with various ministries.

The movement of containerised cargo to and from the country's ports will likely be impacted during the strike days.