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French truckers strike after deal rejected
November 2, 1997
Web posted at: 4:57 p.m. EST (2157 GMT)PARIS (CNN) -- A trucking strike aimed at paralyzing major French highways began Sunday after the country's main syndicate of truck company owners rejected a tentative labor accord.
The Union of Transport Federations, (UFT) which represents 80 percent of France's truck companies, issued a statement saying it could not "subscribe to an accord on this basis."
The proposed agreement, reached overnight by truck drivers and their bosses in intense 12-hour negotiations, would have raised drivers' pay by 5 percent a year over the next three years. UFT representatives and a leading trucker's union boycotted the talks.
Background: A 12-day truck strike last November brought France to a standstill, blocked tens of thousands of international truck drivers, and caused severe tension with European Union member states, who lost millions of dollars in perished goods. UFT's rejection of the deal came despite a last-minute offer by the government to lower trucking taxes.
Car owners throughout France stocked up on gas and braced themselves for the highway-clogging protests. A similar strike a year ago crippled France's commerce for 12 days.
Gas stations across the nation reported a huge increase in sales, with the unions threatening to shut down fuel depots and block France's highway border crossings -- trapping other countries' trucks in France.
By Sunday morning, truck drivers already had blockaded gas depots in and around Bordeaux, Rouen, La Rochelle and Tours, and said they would set up roadblocks throughout France if no agreement is reached.
A group of truckers blockading a gas station near Bordeaux burned copies of the accord.
Labor unions say individual trucking companies have been slow to implement deals reached last year and have reneged on pay-raise agreements.
The trucking company owners say they could see their already slim profit margins disappear if they give in to union demands. European deregulation of the trucking industry is set to begin in July next year, boosting competition from other countries' trucking companies.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related story:
- Strike by French truckers may be averted - November 1, 1997
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