Here we go again
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Not again, surely? Mais mai And worse than ever this time, with 50 border crossings under blockade by striking French hauliers and access restricted to Germany, Belgium and Spain as well as the UK.
This time it's not the drivers causing all the fuss but the operators themselves, protesting about the increasing cost of diesel and everybody's old favourite, the working hours limits. For those of you now in the middle of a double-take, that's right—we really did say the increasing cost of diesel. British operators, who continue to pay more than 65p/litre for their diesel, might be forgiven for finding this somewhat hard to swallow: even with the increase, diesel will still cost around 3op/litre less in France than on this side of the Channel.
Perhaps more understandable, and the main reason for their blockade, is the protest against the working time limits, implementation of which will result in a restrictive 35-hour working week, forcing already high French employment costs through the roof.
But however understandable their grief, it will strike many Brits as pretty rich to hear the French complaining about an uneven playing field. However uneven the playing field, it's simply not fair for the French to hold all of Europe to ransom, subjecting hauliers from other countries to more intolerable waits, more ruined cargoes and more massive bills. The FTA is right to label the protest "outrageous" and French protesters will find little sympathy on this side of the water.
It's high time the French government found a way to put a stop to these all-too-frequent blockades, whether by farmers, fishermen or hauliers. Failing this (and let's face it, they probably will), we can only hope that compensation for those caught up in it all will be swift and appropriate this time around. No prizes for guessing what the chances are of that, however...