Road haulage associations call on the government to intervene to put an end to the blockades
Concerned about the negative consequences for trade and the supply of goods to shops, as well as supply chains, CGIL, CISL and UIL Campania, and Codacons
Trade associations representing the distribution and transport sectors, as well as the retail and consumer sectors, are concerned about the impact of the lorry strike on the retail and services sectors, particularly in the southern regions most affected by road protests, characterised by intermittent blockades and pickets at motorway toll booths, which make it difficult or impossible for heavy goods vehicles to pass through.
At the forefront of highlighting the risks of the drivers’ industrial action continuing indefinitely, the road hauliers’ associations Unatras, Fai, Anita, Confartigianato Trasporti, Assotir, Fiap, Cna Fita, Sna Casartigiani, Fedit, Confcooperative Lavoro e Servizi, and Legacoop Produzione e Servizi. In a joint statement, the associations express their satisfaction with the outcome of the face-to-face meeting with Transport Minister Salvini, but also call “urgently” for “decisive and immediate action by Minister Piantedosi to remove the roadblocks that have been paralysing the South for days, with consequences that are now no longer sustainable either for the sector itself or for the supply system serving the entire community, severely penalising citizens and businesses”.
“Continuing to bring the country to a standstill is no longer justifiable now that the Government has reopened dialogue with the sector and has made significant commitments, in line with the Palazzo Chigi agreement, to provide immediate liquidity to road haulage companies and to identify the measures needed to tackle the current situation,” they add - The associations listed in the Register, acting with a strong sense of responsibility towards the country and the companies they represent, continue to regard dialogue as the only viable way to tackle the current emergency realistically.”
“Forms of protest involving roadblocks and threats that hinder the free movement of goods and people not only fail to achieve any results for the sector – which has also suffered serious damage to its reputation – but end up further undermining the already fragile economic situation.”
Federdistribuzione: supply chain risks and potential shop closures
Federdistribuzione is also of the same view, noting “with approval” the outcomes of the meeting between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) and road haulage associations, which has made it possible to identify an initial set of solutions to address the sector’s difficulties. At the same time, Federdistribuzione’s statement highlights that the situation remains extremely critical in the regions of southern Italia, particularly in Puglia, Calabria and Campania, where the blockage of goods transport not only continues but is, in many areas, getting even worse. Deliveries are being severely affected and, in many cases, goods are stuck in distribution centres, unable to reach retail outlets’.
