FRANCE: TRUCK OWNERS CONTINUE TO BLOCK PETROL AND OIL REFIERIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN PROTEST AGAINST HIGH FUEL PRICES

Record ID: 344811

  • Title: FRANCE: TRUCK OWNERS CONTINUE TO BLOCK PETROL AND OIL REFIERIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN PROTEST AGAINST HIGH FUEL PRICES
  • Date: 4th September 2000
  • Summary: ORLEANS, FRANCE (4 SEPTEMBER, 2000) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. PAN: TRUCKS AND BUSES BLOCKING ROADS AROUND DEPOT 0.10 2. VARIOUS: SAINT JEAN DE BRAYE DEPOT WITH TRUCKS IN FRONT (3 SHOTS) 0.24 3. SLV: STRIKERS CHATTING AMONG PARKED VEHICLES 0.29 4. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (French) JEAN CLAUDE GODET, REGIONAL DELEGATE OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF ROAD TRUCKERS, SAYING: "Unfortunately we have had to organize this blockade after repeated attempts to come to an agreement with the various ministries involved, about the fiscal pressure imposed on our businesses by the brutal fuel price increases of the last weeks, which has turned into a totally unsustainable situation. If this doesn't come to an end we will have to file for bankruptcy and that would carry huge consequences. We expect two things from (Transport Minister Jean-Claude) Gayssot: first that he takes national interest measures to simplify and strengthen the ways of recovering the TIPP tax which we had obtained some months ago and, secondly, that at European level there is agreement on an efficient, professional fuel for the whole of Europe, subject to the same taxes everywhere." /CUTAWAY 'PRO' SIGN (3 SHOTS) 1.31 5. VARIOUS AMBULANCES BLOCKING ROAD (2 SHOTS) 1.40 6. CU: SIGN READING, "AS THE BLACK GOLD GOES UP, THE WHITE SHIRTS GO DOWN" 1.44 7. MV: STRIKING AMBULANCE DRIVERS 1.48 8. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (French) YVES DOLLEANS, MEMBER OF THE EURE AND LOIRE AMBULANCE DRIVERS UNION, SAYING: "We come from the department of Eure and Loire to protest here at Orleans at this blockade because of the ... increases in fuel prices, which for our businesses represents a hike of between 8 and 17 percent, and that is intolerable. We already have other problems and this is maybe just the start of our 'reaction' but will talk about that later." 2.19 9. PAN: DEPOT THROUGH CLOSED GATES 2.28 10. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE FUELLING UP AT A BP PETROL STATION, FUEL PRICE SIGN (7 SHOTS) 3.01 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 19th September 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ORLEANS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVA5KUJ3XCL7U5OU4V0QDLKRO3KB
  • Story Text: Truck owners have blockaded petrol depots and oil
    refineries across France in protest against high fuel prices.



    The protesters started driving trucks across roads
    leading from depots at midnight and settled in for a
    protracted battle.

    By 11 a.m. (0900 GMT), the Federation of Road Hauliers
    (FNTR) said access to and from 60 oil depots and 10 refineries
    was cut off. The Paris region was spared.

    The protesters were also blocking river oil terminals in
    Strasbourg and Lyon and preventing trucks from delivering fuel
    to the airports of Mulhouse-Basel and the Riviera capital
    Nice.

    Jean Claude Godet, regional delegate of the National
    Federation of Road Truckers said they had they had to organise
    the blockade, "after repeated attempts to come to an agreement
    with the various ministries involved about the fiscal pressure
    imposed on our businesses by the brutal fuel price increases
    of the last weeks, which has turned into a totally
    unsustainable situation."
    Godet stressed that if the situation was not resolved
    they would have to file for bankruptcy.

    "We expect two things from (Transport Minister
    Jean-Claude) Gayssot: first that he takes national interest
    measures to simplify and strengthen the ways of recovering the
    TIPP tax which we had obtained some months ago, and secondly
    that at European level there is agreement on an efficient,
    professional fuel for the whole of Europe, subject to the same
    taxes everywhere," he added.

    Around midday in Paris Transport Minister Jean-Claude
    Gayssot met with the leaders of three truckers federations,
    but the meeting ended without any comment to the media.

    A separate technical meeting was scheduled between the
    strikers and the director for road transportation, Hubert de
    Mesnil, to discuss ways of easing the impact of soaring fuel
    costs for truckers.

    In Orleans, 120 km from Paris, truck owners were joined by
    ambulance drivers and the roads around the St Jean Braye depot
    were blocked.

    Yves Dolleans, member of the Eure and Loire Ambulance
    Drivers Union said they had joined the blockade, "because of
    the ... increases in fuel prices, which for our businesses
    represents a hike of between 8 and 17 percent, and that is
    intolerable".

    The FNTR has said its blockade would be lifted only when
    the authorities acknowledge the serious plight of the road
    haulage sector due to the continued increase in diesel prices.

    Authorities in turn have said the protest was not causing
    major problems on main roads.

    Although the FNTR said it did not expect a petrol shortage
    for over a week, motorists began queuing at petrol stations
    during the weekend to fill their tanks in anticipation of
    further blockades.
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