Bolivia faces indefinite strike to protest end of fuel subsidies
Saturday, December 20th 2025 – 10:26 UTC
The decree will not be changed because it is a starting point, Paz asserted
Bolivia’s powerful labor and transport unions confirmed they would launch an indefinite national strike starting Monday after President Rodrigo Paz Pereira vowed that Supreme Decree 5503, eliminating decades-old fuel subsidies, was a non-negotiable starting point for his administration.
Despite invitations from the Ministry of Public Works and the Vice Ministry of Transport to join a dialogue table, the Bolivian Drivers’ Confederation and the 1ro. de Mayo Federation officially declined.
Union leaders, including Santos Escalante and Víctor Tarqui, stated that they would not participate in government meetings as long as the decree remained in force.
Tarqui confirmed that after consulting with regional federations, a general strike will begin on Monday. The government has proposed absolutely nothing to resolve this, Tarqui told ANF.
In La Paz, Mayor Iván Arias has pleaded with drivers for a protest pause, citing concerns over arbitrary fare hikes.
In a video message released Friday, Paz stood firmly by the decree, commonly referred to as the gasolinazo, which has raised gasoline prices by 86% and diesel by 162%.
Paz argued the decree was necessary to speak the truth about the state of the economy and address what he called the bankruptcy and corruption inherited from previous MAS administrations. To offset the rising costs of living, Paz highlighted his administration’s increases to social vouchers, including the allowances for seniors and students.
The decree will not be changed because it is a starting point, Paz asserted, though he noted the government remains open to improving the measure through future initiatives.
The Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) has joined the transport sector in demanding a total repeal, warning that the decree has a multiplier effect that will drive up the cost of all basic goods and services.
While Minister of Economy José Gabriel Espinoza argues there is no justification for fare hikes, transport leaders insist that operating costs have become unsustainable.
Unions continue to argue that some provisions in the decree allow for the express delivery of natural resources to private firms without legislative approval.
On Saturday, transport union leaders are convening in Cochabamba to finalize route closure strategies for the strike to start on Monday.
