truck drivers stage sit-in at Latakia Port in protest against “Special Receipts"; loading procedures

Dozens of truck drivers staged a sit-in at Latakia Port today in protest against what they described as a discriminatory loading mechanism that harms drivers waiting within the queuing system. They called for the cancellation of what is known as the “special receipt” and adherence to the sequential queuing mechanism.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR, managers of the queuing offices received instructions to issue special loading receipts worth 3,000 new Syrian pounds, allowing some customs clearance agents to bring their trucks in and load them directly, bypassing the established queuing system.

The protesting drivers said that this mechanism had deprived a number of truck owners of work opportunities, as some are forced to wait for long periods, sometimes more than a week, to obtain a load, while other trucks complete loading operations immediately through the special receipts.

The protesters pointed out that the registration fee for the general queue is 550 new Syrian pounds and is processed according to the established sequence. They considered that the use of special receipts had created inequality among drivers and affected their chances of obtaining loads.

The protesters called on the Ministry of Transport and the relevant authorities to cancel the “special receipt” mechanism and ensure that the sequential queuing system is applied to all trucks without exception.

ANHA