Empty supermarkets? The lorry drivers’ strike is fast approaching

frafiomatale (78)in #news • 3 hours ago

This is the English version of the post Supermercati vuoti? Manca sempre meno allo sciopero dei camionisti, originally published in Italian in the ITALY community.

Less than a week. That is how long remains before the announced lorry drivers’ strike, scheduled for 20–25 April, comes into effect, threatening to bring much of the retail supply chain to a standstill.

Anyone heading to their local supermarket in a few days’ time, expecting to fill their trolley as usual, risks instead finding themselves faced with empty shelves and a crowd of fellow shoppers who are furious and willing to do anything to get their hands on the last tin of sardines.

The reason for this unrest is probably needless to mention: the high cost of fuel, with prices at the pump showing no sign of falling significantly despite the drop in the price of oil per barrel following the partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Diesel has well exceeded two euros a litre, and fingers are being pointed at the oil companies, which are quick to raise prices as soon as a fuel-related problem arises, but very slow to bring them down once the crisis has passed.

It is also curious to note the rapid erosion of the 25-cent-per-litre discount guaranteed by a government measure, with fuel prices at the pump returning to pre-measure levels in just a couple of days.

But the haulage operators’ complaints do not spare the government either, whose intervention is deemed insufficient in any case, especially when combined with the lack of oversight shown towards the oil companies. As for politics, moreover, we are witnessing a passing of the buck between ministries, without any real dialogue ever having taken place.

Many companies appear to be on the brink of collapse and no longer able to absorb further increases, to the extent that some claim they are already operating at a loss.

The scope for negotiation to avert an event that could have a significant impact on people’s lives still seems reasonable, but in the meantime, it is advisable, for those who can, to start stocking up the pantry with at least some long-life products.

Indeed, whilst the rest of Italy waits, there are those who have already begun to give a taste of what might happen on a large scale should the strike be confirmed. Sicilian lorry drivers, in fact, are already on strike for the next five days, with the strike authorities having already called for the strike to be called off or significantly revised.

In any case, the date to mark in red on the calendar will be 17 April, when Unatras, the umbrella organisation of Italy’s main national road haulage associations, will deliver its final verdict on the planned industrial action and, if necessary, initiate strike procedures.