- Title: ITALY: TWO-DAY PROTEST BY TRUCK DRIVERS PARALYSES ROADS NATIONWIDE
- Date: 22nd June 2000
- Summary: BARDONECCHIA, ITALY (JUNE 21, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. LV PAN TRUCKS BLOCKING ROAD ON ITALIAN SIDE OF FREJUS TUNNEL; SLV TRUCK DRIVERS LETTING CARAVAN PASS AND STOPPING SMALL VAN (8 SHOTS) 0.47 2. SLV POLICE AT BORDER CROSSING; TRUCKS BLOCKING BORDER CROSSING; CAR PASSING BETWEEN TRUCKS; SLV TRUCKS (4 SHOTS) 1.08 3. SOUNDBITE (Italian) TRUCK DR
- Embargoed: 7th July 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BARDONECCHIA, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVAC261HYU4SXS4IH616A1VXOHXA
- Story Text: Italy's centre-left government has remained at odds
with one of the country's main truck drivers' unions which has
refused to follow its sister union in suspending a nationwide
strike.
The two-day protest has paralysed roads nationwide,
seizing up the country's major arteries and leaving large
towns and cities snarled with traffic.
At least 200 trucks on Wednesday (June 21) remained
trapped on the Italian side of the Frejus tunnel linking Italy
to France, while on the French side authorities have ordered
truck drivers to avoid roads which are already saturated with
traffic.
In Italy, three trucks blocked the pay-toll booths to
prevent trucks entering the Frejus tunnel but allowed cars
carrying tourists to pass.
"The price of petrol is too high and there is the problem
of the tax bills" said truck driver Diego Pasera, who has been
at the Frejus tunnel, the main commercial artery between
France and Italy, since Sunday (June 18) evening.
The FITA/CNA truck union said earlier it accepted
government proposals on their demands and had called an
immediate halt to the strike. But CUNA, the other main union
involved in the industrial action, said it was not happy and
its members would carry on the blockade.
"The government still has not signed anything, they want
us to move first and then they will sign" said truck driver
Giuseppe Domani.
"If they don't sign first we are not moving, we will
continue to stay here until the government accepts our
requests." Domani said.
In what looked like a bout of verbal arm wrestling,
ministers who met in a cabinet session on Wednesday said they
were holding back from signing a decree to answer the unions
demands until all unions had suspended the potentially
crippling strike.
The stalemate could develop into a test of wills between
CUNA and the government - the union waiting for the government
to act before a suspension, the government refusing to act
before the union calls a temporary halt to the strike.
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