Bakeries Union Calls Off Thursday Strike

Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas announced on Wednesday that the Bakeries Union has decided to call off its strike that was scheduled for Thursday.

He said during a press conference that the strike was cancelled after an agreement was reached to subsidize flour with LL70,000, meaning that the bakeries will receive a ton of flour at the cost of LL440,000 instead of LL510,000.

“We sought to adopt the simplest solution that would grant the people and Bakeries Union their rights,” stated the minister.

He added that three proposals on liberalizing the price of bread and increasing the weight and price of the standard pack of bread have been referred to cabinet for discussion.

“All three of these suggestions will create profits for the state,” he stressed.

“I support liberalizing the price of bread because subsidizing flour will not necessarily yield the desired results,” explained Nahhas.

The union had initially called for the strike after the government failed to meet its demand of compensation over the increase of the price of 20 liters of diesel from LL24,000 to LL30,000 and the rise in the prices of raw materials used by the bakeries.