RIO DE JANEIRO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government announced late Thursday that, after hours of negotiations, it managed to reach a deal with several leaders of the truck drivers' associations to end a crippling four-day strike.
Under the deal, truck drivers agree to suspend the strike for 15 days, while the price of diesel will be cut by 10 percent in the refineries, and remain as such for 30 days.
During this month, the government is committed to seeking other ways to bring down fuel prices, including proposing a zero Cide tax on diesel until the end of the year.
"It is time we look at people who are without food and medicine. Brazil is a country of highways. The Brazilian families depend on road transportation," said the government's chief of staff Eliseu Padilha.
There has been shortage of some items, like vegetables which have been gone from major cities' supermarket for the past two days. But in most areas, fruits and legumes can still be found, though sometimes at higher prices.
It remains to be seen whether the deal will really help end the strike, as one of the truck drivers' associations present at the negotiation did not accept the deal.
