Just as fuel protests in Britain and Belgium are winding down, truckers in Poland, Spain and Ireland are getting ready for another round of demonstrations. And on this side of the Atlantic, Canadian truckers are threatening a protest for Monday.
Protests are coming to an end in Britain and Belgium, where traffic has begun to flow normally.
According to Reuters, a priority-fueling list is in effect in Britain, where designated jobs such as emergency services and necessary deliveries have first call on the pumps.
Truckers in Belgium removed most road barricades early today after the most radical of the country’s three trucker groups relented. They accepted a government deal already approved by the other two to end protests over high fuel prices. According to published reports, the Union of Professional Highway Transporters, the single holdout group, put out a call to its members late yesterday to end the protest movement, although it did not immediately join the other two groups in signing the accord with the government.
The compromise agreement called for cuts in road taxes, insurance and social charges totaling $73 million, rather than the "professional" fuel price reduction the truckers had wanted.
Protests in other countries, however, are just heating up.
Poland: Polish truckers have confirmed that they are ready to slow traffic nationwide today after talks with the government on lowering the price of diesel by 30 percent fell through, according to the Agence France Press.
Thousands of truck drivers have been called on by the Association of Polish International Transporters to slow traffic down in cities and highways throughout the day.
Talks held yesterday between trucking associations and government officials at the transportation ministry lasted more than 10 hours but didn't yield any results, reported AFP. Finance Minister Jaroslaw Bauc has ruled out any cut in the excise tax on fuel, saying it was too important for government revenues. The government has hinted it may lower relatively minor import duties on petrol to boost competitiveness on the retail fuel market as a concession to the truckers.
Spain: Spanish truckers joined in the wave of protests against high fuel prices today as well, with trucks and taxis blocking traffic on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Barcelona.
Officials said dozens of protestors staged a go-slow operation on main access roads to the center of the city, provoking several traffic jams on area highways.
According to the AFP, other demonstrations were scheduled later today in Merida and Segovia.
Ireland: Meanwhile, Irish truckers are participating in a 24-hour stoppage today that is sparking traffic delays on many of the country's main roads.
According to AFP, the campaign was organized by the Irish Road Haulage Association after they failed to win a commitment for a 33 percent cut in diesel duty at a meeting earlier this week with Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.
The truckers' protests focused on ports, main national routes, bridges and roundabouts leading into Dublin, as well as the cities of Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Sligo and Galway. Private cars and emergency vehicles were allowed to pass through partial blockades in some areas, but commercial vehicles were stopped.
Norway: Before Norwegian truckers decide whether to join in on the fuel protests, trucker spokesmen said today the government had given them "positive signals" on a possible reduction of diesel fuel taxes.
"We have received positive signals in the sense that we have been assured that this issue was examined in the context of the 2001 draft budget," Gunnar Apeland, director of the NLF road transport union, told AFP.
Apeland's remarks followed an hour-long meeting with Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjoett-Pedersen. Apeland has previously threatened a strike of road transport workers if taxes on diesel fuel were not reduced.
"There could be some kind of action next week," Apeland said. "The NLF leadership will meet tomorrow to decide how to proceed."
Italy: After two days of talks, Italy's main truckers' unions said today that they had reached a deal with the government that included a 5-cent drop in the price of a liter of fuel.
Union leaders threatened strike action unless fuel prices were cut, but finally reached a deal with the government late yesterday.
The lower price for fuel will be obtained by cutting the tax on fuel, with the reduced price holding at least until the end of the year. Oil industry representatives also signed up to the deal, agreeing to cut the gross price of fuel sold directly to truckers, reported AFP.
Transport Minister Pierluigi Bersani welcomed the agreement, in which the government also undertook to closely monitor fuel prices and to hold more meetings with truckers' representatives.
Canada: Hundreds of independent truckers could park their rigs on Ontario
roadways at 12:01 a.m. Monday if they do not win concessions on rising diesel fuel prices, reported the Toronto Star.
The National Truckers Association plans to make a final appeal to Ontario's government today for a break on fuel taxes. If that fails, members could agree to park their trucks when they meet Sunday morning.
Truckers in Newfoundland and Labrador are also threatening fuel protests, Bill Wellman, president of the NTA, told the paper.
"With the price of diesel fuel today, we are just not making any money," Wellman told the Star. He said he probably will not be able to make the payments on his three trucks this month.
Protests are coming to an end in Britain and Belgium, where traffic has begun to flow normally.
According to Reuters, a priority-fueling list is in effect in Britain, where designated jobs such as emergency services and necessary deliveries have first call on the pumps.
Truckers in Belgium removed most road barricades early today after the most radical of the country’s three trucker groups relented. They accepted a government deal already approved by the other two to end protests over high fuel prices. According to published reports, the Union of Professional Highway Transporters, the single holdout group, put out a call to its members late yesterday to end the protest movement, although it did not immediately join the other two groups in signing the accord with the government.
The compromise agreement called for cuts in road taxes, insurance and social charges totaling $73 million, rather than the "professional" fuel price reduction the truckers had wanted.
Protests in other countries, however, are just heating up.
Poland: Polish truckers have confirmed that they are ready to slow traffic nationwide today after talks with the government on lowering the price of diesel by 30 percent fell through, according to the Agence France Press.
Thousands of truck drivers have been called on by the Association of Polish International Transporters to slow traffic down in cities and highways throughout the day.
Talks held yesterday between trucking associations and government officials at the transportation ministry lasted more than 10 hours but didn't yield any results, reported AFP. Finance Minister Jaroslaw Bauc has ruled out any cut in the excise tax on fuel, saying it was too important for government revenues. The government has hinted it may lower relatively minor import duties on petrol to boost competitiveness on the retail fuel market as a concession to the truckers.
Spain: Spanish truckers joined in the wave of protests against high fuel prices today as well, with trucks and taxis blocking traffic on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Barcelona.
Officials said dozens of protestors staged a go-slow operation on main access roads to the center of the city, provoking several traffic jams on area highways.
According to the AFP, other demonstrations were scheduled later today in Merida and Segovia.
Ireland: Meanwhile, Irish truckers are participating in a 24-hour stoppage today that is sparking traffic delays on many of the country's main roads.
According to AFP, the campaign was organized by the Irish Road Haulage Association after they failed to win a commitment for a 33 percent cut in diesel duty at a meeting earlier this week with Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.
The truckers' protests focused on ports, main national routes, bridges and roundabouts leading into Dublin, as well as the cities of Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Sligo and Galway. Private cars and emergency vehicles were allowed to pass through partial blockades in some areas, but commercial vehicles were stopped.
Norway: Before Norwegian truckers decide whether to join in on the fuel protests, trucker spokesmen said today the government had given them "positive signals" on a possible reduction of diesel fuel taxes.
"We have received positive signals in the sense that we have been assured that this issue was examined in the context of the 2001 draft budget," Gunnar Apeland, director of the NLF road transport union, told AFP.
Apeland's remarks followed an hour-long meeting with Finance Minister Karl Eirik Schjoett-Pedersen. Apeland has previously threatened a strike of road transport workers if taxes on diesel fuel were not reduced.
"There could be some kind of action next week," Apeland said. "The NLF leadership will meet tomorrow to decide how to proceed."
Italy: After two days of talks, Italy's main truckers' unions said today that they had reached a deal with the government that included a 5-cent drop in the price of a liter of fuel.
Union leaders threatened strike action unless fuel prices were cut, but finally reached a deal with the government late yesterday.
The lower price for fuel will be obtained by cutting the tax on fuel, with the reduced price holding at least until the end of the year. Oil industry representatives also signed up to the deal, agreeing to cut the gross price of fuel sold directly to truckers, reported AFP.
Transport Minister Pierluigi Bersani welcomed the agreement, in which the government also undertook to closely monitor fuel prices and to hold more meetings with truckers' representatives.
Canada: Hundreds of independent truckers could park their rigs on Ontario
roadways at 12:01 a.m. Monday if they do not win concessions on rising diesel fuel prices, reported the Toronto Star.
The National Truckers Association plans to make a final appeal to Ontario's government today for a break on fuel taxes. If that fails, members could agree to park their trucks when they meet Sunday morning.
Truckers in Newfoundland and Labrador are also threatening fuel protests, Bill Wellman, president of the NTA, told the paper.
"With the price of diesel fuel today, we are just not making any money," Wellman told the Star. He said he probably will not be able to make the payments on his three trucks this month.
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