Truck drivers’ protests in southern Italy, which have severely affected fuel and food supplies, are easing as the government lines up aid and takes a harder line against roadblocks. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government is working to address the concerns of hauliers, who have been blocking roads and motorways to protest against high fuel prices.
Following discussions with government officials, representatives of Sicilian truck drivers announced the removal of roadblocks. Similarly, truckers in Calabria halted their protests, and Vincenzo Parisi, a spokesperson for Campania’s hauliers, expressed optimism that local roadblocks would be cleared by Thursday.
The protests have caused “severe disruption” in Campania, affecting supplies to supermarkets, petrol stations and even hospitals, Deputy Infrastructure Minister Edoardo Rixi told RAI radio. However, Prime Minister Meloni’s office refuted a report claiming that government offices in Rome were running low on toilet paper due to the blockades, labeling it as “ridiculous”.
In Naples, fuel shortages were making it harder for doctors to reach hospitals and clinics and for ambulances to respond to emergencies, the head of the local order of physicians and dentists said. “We understand the truck drivers’ concerns, but we are calling for a responsible protest. Fuel supplies for ambulances must be guaranteed and healthcare workers must be able to get to work,” Bruno Zuccarelli said.
Antonio Ferraioli, chairman and chief executive of tomato sauce and pasta producer La Doria, told la Repubblica daily that the company had stopped production in seven plants in southern Italy and placed half of its workforce on forced leave. “If the protest continues, products from southern Italy will disappear from supermarket shelves across the country and will be replaced by imports or products from other parts of Italy,” he said.
Prime Minister Meloni was due to chair a cabinet meeting in Rome to approve a decree bringing together aid measures for truck drivers and farmers, including financial compensation measures for high diesel costs. The government also said it was working to ensure the distribution of essential goods, including food and medicines, offering police escorts to trucks seeking to go past roadblocks.
