The international transport union brings together 2,439 registered members and 1,079 active people who mobilize more than 5,000 trucks throughout the region.
The Salvadoran Association of International Cargo Carriers (ASTIC) warned on Wednesday to suspend its transportation services in Central America, which will affect regional trade, if the government does not repeal the Bitcoin Act or amend its obligation in Article 7 .
“(ASTIC), by this means, informs the President of the Republic, the deputies of the Legislative Assembly, the private and public company in general, our position against the entry into force of the Bitcoin Law and the outright rejection of the obligation to receive payment for our transportation services to Bitcoin in accordance with Article 7 thereof, “the official statement said.
Trades are self-reported on Bitcoin in the face of scarce data on its execution
In the statement, the union details 5 reasons why it refuses to accept digital currency as a form of payment:
1 “Trade negotiations between private individuals are not the responsibility of any public authority to decide how we should pay for the goods or services offered.
2 “The scope of work and service of our sector is at a regional level and not exclusive to El Salvador.
3 “Our source of income is freight payments by our customers, which, by limiting ourselves to receiving Bitcoin out of obligation, will” force “us to use bitcoin in Central America, which is unheard of. That’s why we consider ourselves it will depolarize by forcing us to suspend our service. “
4 “No Central American carrier that is hired by an economic entity in El Salvador accepts bitcoin as a form of payment, creating divisionism in the sector to pay abroad in dollars and nationally to be forced to bitcoin.”
5 We consider that this legal tender currency thus proposed is a particular business, since we have dollars, we will go through bitcoin to return to the dollar, through an extra procedure and a commission that we will pay to convert bitcoin back to the dollar in cash
The union demands that the government repeal the law, amend its obligation set out in Article 7 or, failing that, exclude the transport sector from such an article.
He also warns that if none of these alternatives are achieved, they would suspend their services at the Central American level, which would affect trade in the region, and would demand payment for their services strictly in cash plus an increase of 20% to the value of the freight as a measure to protect against the risk and speculation of the digital currency exchange rate.