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One thousand truck drivers block motorways across France in diesel protest

The Local France
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One thousand truck drivers block motorways across France in diesel protest
Photo: PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP

Motorways and roads across the country are to be blocked on Saturday, with truck drivers protesting against tax increases on diesel fuel.

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The majority of the blockades are to take place in the southeast of the country. The A8 motorway is expected to be affected, along with roads in the vicinity of Toulouse, Marseille and Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône).

The 2020 budget has forecast a two cent per litre increase on diesel fuel.

OTRE (Organization European Transport Transporters), the third largest trade union in the transportation sector, called on its members to block motorways on Saturday. The two largest trade union organisations – the FNTR and the TLF – do not support the blockade.

OTRE said in a statement that the cumulative effect of the tax would be forcing drivers to spend an additional 800 euros per year.

“Increasing the tax on fuel has no environmental value and represents an additional cost of 800 euros per vehicle per year for carriers” the statement read.

Strikes in a variety of industry sectors have taken place across the country this week, crippling mobility and shutting down businesses.

 

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