Haula e showdown
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cripples fuel supply I by CM News Desk
After months of apathy and empty talk the haulage industry has finally shown it can bring the country to its knees.
A dramatic escalation of blockades and fuel refinery pickets caused retail fuel pumps to run dry within hours.
As Commercial Motor went to press on Tuesday well over half the country's fuel stations were turning customers away.
The government immediately blamed panic buying for the shortage and tried to play down the blockade of all nine of the country's ail refineries by a committed group of hauliers. farmers, taxi and car drivers.
Hauliers and farmers also mounted go-slow convoys disrupting major roads including the Ml. M6 and M25 (see panel, left).
Neil Pearce of North Walesbased MNP Haulage was one of a crowd of 100 picketing the Stanlow refinery in Cheshire throughout Sunday night.
"The response has been amazing," he said. "There's everyone down here from farmers to hauliers, taxi drivers and even just ordinary members of the public."
But early optimism was quickly dampened by the government. On Monday Prime Minister Tony Blair was adamant that he would not cut fuel duty. "We won't allow government policy to be dictated," he warned, blaming the oil producing countries for rising prices.
OPEC announced at the weekend that it would increase oil production by 30% to 800,000 barrels a day, but analysts say that this is unlikely to make a difference at the pump for at least six to eight weeks.
Blair's response provoked a furious reaction from Road Haulage Association national chairman John Bridge, who said he will resign from the government's Road Haulage Forum which was set up to examine the problems facing the haulage industry.
RHA chief executive Roger King described the Government's reaction as "unbelievable" and a further demonstration that it isn't listening to the industry. "Even after 18 months of talks, meetings and discussions, it's like we are on two separate planets," he added.
King said the RHA would continue to support protests while they remained legal and reported that RHA regional staff had been at most of the main protests, pointing out where pickets stood in relation to the law.
In another development the RHA has written to European Union Commissioner Frederick Bolkestein, pointing out that UK fuel taxes may contravene competition regulations that are supposed to result in fair trading across the EU. "Although it's complex and very politically sensitive, if the EU agrees that UK fuel taxes discriminate against UK operators the Government will at least be forced to listen to the facts from another source," said King.
The Scottish branch of the RHA organised a go-slow convoy in Edinburgh on Tuesday that was well supported by members. About 200 trucks were reported to have taken part.
Dialogue
The Freight Transport Association, however, called for an end to the blockades. It wants an immediate 15p/lit reduction on duty but hopes to achieve this through "strong and informed dialogue with the government".
The protests started last week as French hauliers brought France to a virtual standstill to win concessions on fuel (see panel, above right I.
The news that French operators, who were already paying half the amount of duty levied in Britain, had won further tax gains through protests prompted hauliers in Wales and North East England to mount similar protests.
The Shell oil refinery in Stanlow, Cheshire was the first to be hit but the action quickly gathered momentum spreading across the UK (see panel, left). Similar protests spread throughout Europe. with blockades and slow convoys in Belgium, Holland and Germany.
Industry commentators were quick to point out that if this government sticks to its guns over fuel tax hauliers will be even worse off compared with their French counterparts than they were before the protest.
Protests
In this country the protests were mainly peaceful apart from a couple of isolated incidents. The Transport & General Workers Union called on the drivers of tankers not to be victimised while doing their jobs. This followed several reports of drivers being cut up on motorways as the dispute began.
And despite the gov ernment's stance hauliers remained optimistic and vowed to continue the protests.
Pembrokeshire-based haulier Carl Frizell, who has been picketing outside the Elf refinery at Milford Haven since last Saturday, said: "We are going to fight on for as long as it takes. We've got the public's support and the police have been excellent."
The only trouble came earlier on when protesters converged on one tanker driver who tried to beat the blockade. When he mounted the kerb to get round the demonstrators police moved in. He was forced to withdraw and was eventually arrested.
A haulier also had the fuel stolen from his truck.
This commitment to the protests was in stark contrast to the apathy shown by hauliers who stayed away from the recent planned protest in Dover.
Essex haulier and farmer Chris Mullins of E&K Benton Haulage was up at 05.00hrs to be one of about 30 outside the BP refinery at the old Shellhaven site in Thurrock, Essex. The boys from Kent were showing up the Essex hauliers, so I decided I'd better get down there," he said.
He described Tony Blair's assertion that high fuel prices in the UK were the fault of OPEC as "the biggest load of bollocks that I've ever heard". adding that most hauliers and farmers who were taking action were doing so as ''a last ditch cry of anguish".
"I never thought I would be manning blockades but this is what it has come to," said Mullins. He reported a very sympathetic response from the tanker drivers inside and said they had even sent tea out to those halting the deliveries. He said the atmosphere was quiet apart from the odd tooting of a horn of support from the passing public.
At one stage the protesters allowed a tanker to leave the plant with fuel for an air ambulance service in Oxford.
Prices
Also at the Shellhaven site was veteran protester Frank Stears of Trans-Action, which had recently taken a back seat in the fight over fuel prices. He said the interesting thing about this protest was the way it snowballed.
It's all being organised by local groups," he explained. "Friends are calling each other to rally support—and this time they are coming."
Stears paid tribute to the tanker drivers' sensible approach and pointed out that many probably feared the reaction of fellow drivers out on the road if they crossed picket lines. "Besides," he concluded, "I think they realise that if the Government doesn't do something soon there won't be any British haulage industry left and they'll be out of a job eventually."