MEPs hassle the French
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INDIGNANT TORY MEPs put pre pay full compensation to about 'mulles who bore the brunt of the "Payment of £160 per driver is pathetic compared to the amount of money drivers have lost," Miss Norvela Forster (MEP for Birmingham South) wrote to French finance minister Jacques Delors.
"Some British trucking companies are on the verge of going bankrupt as a result of this — £160 will hardly put them back in business" the letter continued.
"One company in my area — Red Wing Transport — has two drivers stuck in the blockade. The owner told me it cost him £135 a day per truck without taking into account what he has lost in cargo or jobs missed."
"This is just one company where there are probably hundreds more facing near bankruptcy particularly owner drivers who run on a tight financial schedule without the sort of reserve needed to deal with this kind of situation". ssure on the French last week to 300 British drivers and their comorry drivers blockade.
Meanwhile, the vast traffic jam of 5,000 vehicles stretching across Austria and into West Germany began to clear last week as the drivers lifted their blockade of the Brenner Pass.
A meeting of the EEC's internal Market Council was called for last Thursday (March 8) to try yet again to reduce the controls.
But the day when all the paperwork is handled by computers and vehicles are cleared by number still seems a long way off.
The International Road Transport Union (IRU) has requested action on border delays.
• Irish international hauliers are demanding compensation of around 1R£1m (£800,000) for lorries stranded in France. The Irish Overseas Transport Association, which is pressing for compensation, protested during a visit to Ireland last month by French President Mitterand.