RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Almost a month after the beginning of the national strike against the government of President Iván Duque, the impact continues to greatly affect the country’s businesses and according to the National Federation of Traders (FENALCO), losses are estimated at around 3 trillion pesos (US$800 million).
The Colombian Association of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACOPI) pointed out that the sector is the most affected by the protests and blockades registered in the country over the past month.
“The few orders they were receiving in their companies are being hindered and they are losing customers and suppliers,” said María Alejandra Osorio, Deputy Executive Director of ACOPI Bogota-Cundinamarca.
The billions in losses are also linked to acts of vandalism that are forcing traders to close their establishments.
“In 25 days of strike, blockades, looting and vandalism in Colombia, more than 3 billion pesos have been lost in the country’s organized trade,” explained FENALCO’s president Jaime Alberto Cabal.
Moreover, the situation has resulted in an increase in unemployment in the already battered economy.
“Nearly 40,000 companies have been forced to temporarily or permanently close their doors and nearly 300,000 jobs have been lost, which will be very difficult to recover,” said the president of FENALCO.
Consequently, ACOPI called for speedy negotiations between the strike committee and the national government to solve the crisis and get the country back on the path to economic reactivation.
“The whole country is expecting a consensus to be reached, that at the negotiating table there will be clear proposals and suggestions that may lead to lifting the various blockades,” added the Deputy Executive Director of ACOPI Bogota-Cundinamarca.
Emilio Archila, presidential advisor for Stabilization and now appointed by the Duque government to conduct the negotiations with the strike committee, after the departure of the High Commissioner for Peace, Miguel Ceballos, pointed out that the pre-agreement proposed by the strike representatives is currently under review.
“We confirm the willingness to advance in agreements with the National Strike Committee, in order for them to benefit the whole country. We are now working on the approval of the pre-agreement document regarding guarantees for social protest.” Archila said in a video uploaded to his Twitter account.
According to the official, contrary to rumors recently spread on social networks, in the pre-agreement document the government has not waived any of its powers or duties or those of any state body. In particular, regarding this issue, the fact is that so far there has been no need or convenience to use it.
In his statement, Archila assured that he is actively working for the talks to materialize, but at the same time he pointed out that this does not mean that the agreements will be taken lightly. He said that each point is being reviewed to make the best possible decisions.
“We are working with all the necessary speed, but it is important to understand that it is just as important to make things right as it is to make them fast. There are issues which need the corresponding legal validations and revisions and require full responsibility,” said the councilor.