The president of the Mixed Parliamentary Front of Autonomous and Celetistas Truckers, federal deputy Nereu Crispim (PSD-RS), criticized President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) this Sunday (14) and blamed him for the recent increases in fuel prices. According to Crispim, the price adjustments by Petrobras have become “unsustainable”, and the category may promote stoppages in the coming weeks.
In an interview with UOLCrispim stated that truck drivers are having difficulties to pass on, in the price of freight, the increases promoted by Petrobras.
These readjustments really became unsustainable. Truck drivers and small carriers are no longer able to pass on the increases to freight. Many truck drivers will stop. There is a possibility of a shutdown next week. In Espírito Santo, there is already a movement for this
Nereu Crispim, federal deputy
This year, the company has already raised diesel oil prices on three occasions: 8.08% in January, 24.9% in March and 8.87% in May. The accumulated high is 46.97%. The latest increase was announced on Monday (9), after Petrobras reported a profit of R$ 44.5 billion in the first quarter of the year.
Bolsonaro’s responsibility, says deputy
With dialogue between truck drivers, Crispim also said that Bolsonaro is “solely responsible” for the current price situation.
“No minister takes action without being accountable to him. Bolsonaro always gets a ‘piranha ox’ to, every time he has a raise, fire someone, as if he wasn’t the only one responsible,” he said.
Last week, Bolsonaro fired the then Minister of Mines and Energy, Admiral Bento Albuquerque, and appointed Adolfo Sachsida, former head of the Special Advisory for Strategic Affairs at the Ministry of Economy, to the post.
In his first act as minister, Sachsida gave the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, a request for formal studies to be carried out for the privatization of Petrobras.
No climate for privatization
To the UOLCrispim described the initiative as “a show”.
“To privatize Petrobras, there are a series of conditions, including the presentation of a plan, which passes through Congress. We are on the eve of an election and there is no climate for that”, he added.
Analysts outside the government say that, due to the election year and the complexity of the privatization process, it is unlikely that Petrobras will actually be privatized during this government.
According to Crispim, the short-term solution for diesel oil would be for the government, which is Petrobras’ main shareholder, to force the company to abandon the PPI (Import Parity Price) policy.
Adopted in 2016 by the state-owned company, the policy makes Petrobras calculate fuel prices based on the international market, passing on the variations to consumers.
