FRANCE: FRENCH TRUCK DRIVERS INTENSIFY THEIR ACTION TO HALT TRAFFIC ON STRATEGIC ROADS AROUND FRANCE

Record ID: 639936

  • Title: FRANCE: FRENCH TRUCK DRIVERS INTENSIFY THEIR ACTION TO HALT TRAFFIC ON STRATEGIC ROADS AROUND FRANCE
  • Date: 25th November 1996
  • Summary: CALAIS, FRANCE/ BETWEEN PARIS AND CHARLES DE GAULL, NORTH OF PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 25, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) CALAIS 1. SLV TRUCKS LINING ROAD 0.05 2. MV DRIVER ASLEEP IN CAB 0.07 3. TRACKING SCENE OF TRUCKS ALONG ROAD 0.15 4. MV TRUCKS PARKED 0.19 5. LV WIDE VIEW OF CALAIS PORT 0.24 6. LV FERRIE
  • Embargoed: 10th December 1996 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BETWEEN PARIS AND CHARLES DE GAULLE, NORTH OF PARIS AND CALAIS, FRANCE
  • City:
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVA47BIHQA07BCKNQBQISSWBDXLH
  • Story Text: INTRO: - French truck-drivers have intensified their action to halt traffic on strategic roads around France in pursuit of pay rises.

    Truckers reinforced their campaign of disruption on Monday (November 25) with barricades at five frontier posts with Germany and blockades at the car ferry ports of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer.

    Cars and buses were allowed to embark on the ferries. The action added to the woes of cross-Channel travellers to Britain, already hit by the closure of the Channel Tunnel to all but freight trains after a fire last week.

    The drivers are demanding shorter working hours, wage rises and retirement at 55 instead of 60.

    Foreign drivers trapped in the blockades have expressed mixed opinions on the French truckers actions.

    One British driver said he respected the drivers for their actions.

    "When they want to get something sorted, they do get it sorted", he said. "But it's very frustrating as you can understand".

    Overnight talks between the truck drivers, the truckers' employers and the government mediator Robert Cros failed after almost 14 hours at the French Transport Ministry in Paris.

    Ouvriere Union delegate, Patrick Chauffy explained that after one week of strikes the drivers decided only a blockade would force the government to listen to their demands.

    "I know some truck drivers are held hostage but we've limited the problems and are letting cars and buses drive freely", he added.

    Both sides agreed to meet for more talks, hosted by government mediator Robert Cros, at 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Monday in a bid to resolve the dispute.

    One Spanish lorry driver complained at being targeted by the truckers tactics.

    "From our point of view they are not doing the right thing. I mean they have to do what they have to do, but from our point of view they are making things difficult", he said.

    The state road information centre said there were 98 truckers' barricades on major routes in France on Monday morning, against 62 on Sunday night. The figures do not count disruption to smaller routes. The truckers also blocked fuel depots and roads around the nation in the toughest wave of unrest in France since a 24-day round of public sector strikes against the centre-right government almost paralysed the country in late 1995.

    There was heavy disruption north of Paris on the motorway to Charles de Gaulle.

    A Belgian motorist said that he sympathised with the demands of the truck-drivers, and hoped they let him through so he could continue to Disneyland.

    An IPSOS opinion poll for France-2 television showed 74 percent of French people sympathised with the strikers. It also revealed that 87 percent found their demands "rather justified".


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