Buenos Aires, June 11 (RHC-teleSUR), --  Thousands of people formed long lines at gas stations in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires on Saturday amid fears of fuel shortages after truck drivers announced a strike, according to AFP.

The truckers are demanding a 42 percent rise in wages for the more than 250,000 truck drivers that are part of their union.

The 48-hour strike was declared by the powerful union of truck drivers led by Hugo Moyano, head of the CGT workers’ union, president of the Independiente soccer club and a candidate to head the Argentine Football Association (AFA).

Since President Mauricio Macri took office, the cost of electricity has risen 200 to 900 percent, and the cost of gas has risen by 2,000 percent. Annual inflation is about 40 percent, according to consulting companies.

The action comes despite the fact that Argentina's Ministry of Labour has issued a compulsory conciliation measure, legally requiring the truckers union to abandon the strike during talks with the government.

If Macri’s government doesn’t reach an agreement with the union, banks and other companies won’t be able to transport money to and from their offices. Garbage collectors are also set to join the massive strike.

Various unions have joined a nationwide strike against Macri’s austerity measures, including air traffic controllers, whose strike affected flights in every airport in the country.

Unions have said that about 200,000 people have been laid off in the public and private sectors, in the last six months.