IRHA plans blockades
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RISH Road Haulage Association o the streets in a repeat of I locked the cities of Dublin and
members are threatening to take act year's demonstrations which Cork reports our Irish correspon
Hauliers meeting at the IRHA's innual conference warned that uture action would be more lisruptive and widespread. Imong the tactics under discusion by the IRHA's incoming 1xecutive will be blockades of he major roads from the Repub'c to Northern Ireland.
The hauliers will be using the protests to highlight their oppoition to the Government soonored Transport Consultative :ommission's proposals to beralise entry to the industry Ind allow own-account Pperators to back-load for hire or eward. They fear these will lead o over-capacity and further rate cutting for an industry which has already had to contend with huge dery increases and rampant illegal haulage.
The IRHA's newly elected president Jim Walsh criticised the Irish Government's lact of commitment to transport which, he said, was consuming seven per cent of the gross national product.
He also challenged the TCC's forecast that the demand for road freight would grow by 30 per cent in the next five years.
The Republic's new Minister for Transport, John Wilson, told the hauliers' meeting that the assessment of all the views he received on the TCC report was at a very advanced stage. He expected to be able to bring the matter to Government with recommendations for action very shortly.
The Minister also pointed out that there was scope for the development of private haulage. He urged hauliers to demonstrate to own-account operators .that the engagement of professional hauliers makes good commercial sense. It was also important, however, he said, that manufacturers were open minded to demonstrations by hauliers of the improved economics and quality of service offered by professional transport organisations.