Road haulage: protests in the south. Blockade in Sicily lifted

Words written on cardboard signs worn as vests. “No weapons, more education, jobs, healthcare. ‘Indefinite strike’ reads another placard. On the tractors, banners bear the slogans: ‘You wanted young farmers? Now listen to us’ and ‘Stop unfair imports. Let’s protect our land’. The appeal is directed at the authorities and the public because “it is time to make our voices heard”. The protest, which began at seven o’clock this morning and will wind its way through the town, has been organised to “demand concrete action” to tackle “ever-increasing costs, rising expenses and shrinking profit margins”. The demonstration will continue throughout the day and will end with a rally outside the Town Hall. It is a way of demanding “a listening ear, accountability and concrete answers, to protect people’s jobs, their dignity and the chance to look to the future with greater confidence”, explain the demonstrators.

 Following in the footsteps of lorry drivers and farmers, fishermen in Molise are also taking action against high diesel prices and rising business operating costs. On Thursday 22 October, the fishing boats from Termoli will remain moored in port, joining the national industrial action called by Italy’s fishing fleets. Confirmation of their participation has come from the Molise Fishing Shipowners’ Association, the Molise Fishermen’s Federation and the San Basso Fishermen’s Organisation, which together represent the entire local sector and have signed the document endorsed by 43 fishing communities. The fishermen’s protest had been planned before the current lorry drivers’ strike, following a national meeting held in Ancona on 11 September, but it now takes place against a backdrop of growing difficulties for productive activities linked to transport and fuel consumption.

 In Molise, the lorry drivers’ strikes are already causing problems for the distribution of goods and slowing down industrial production, whilst fishing businesses are also reporting costs that are becoming increasingly difficult to bear.

 According to industry representatives, international tensions and conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have exacerbated the rise in the cost of energy, diesel and the supplies needed to go to sea. The 43 fishing associations are calling on the Government to extend the fuel tax credit until 31 December, to provide greater financial relief to businesses, to allow access to aid even in cases of social security contribution irregularities through compensation mechanisms, and to review the procedures for registering and tracking fishing activities. The demands also include the simplification of bureaucratic procedures. 22 October will therefore mark another day of protest against price rises, this time in the fishing sector, with the entire Termoli fleet taking part in the national mobilisation.