French lorry drivers protest over fuel prices
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008Dozens of lorry drivers in France brought rush hour traffic to a standstill in Paris’ financial district on Tuesday in the latest strike against the rising cost of fuel.
It is what the French call “Operation Snail” - the latest of its kind in recent months as fishermen, farmers, lorry and taxi drivers try to pressure the government into helping them face the oil crisis.
Lorry drivers are demanding cheaper fuel for professional use and want the price to be fixed for a full 12 months from the start of the year. Gerard Enel of the European Lorry Drivers Union said: “We want to be heard - the situation is getting out of control. Soon we won’t be able to drive our lorries anymore. We will keep trying to negotiate to get the price of fuel down because it is becoming totally impossible for us to manage.”
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