Alors!
Page 5
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Compensation
THE FRENCH Government has agreed to pay compensation to British and Continental drivers who were caught up in the blockades in South West France in February.
The decision last week follows persistent pressure from the international Routiers organisation, including the Routiers Drivers' Club in London.
Drivers will receive 2,000 francs (E180) if they can prove that they were in the Haute Savoie area at the time and affected by the strike. Payment will be made by the local departements. The figure is arbitrary and roughly covers expenses incurred.
Winning the compensation is a spectacular success for Routiers, and for Jean-Claude Pechin, head of the French association and a leading trade unionist. French drivers have already been paid, but the Government in Paris at first refused the same right to foreigners.
The success is probably due in part to the detailed case put forward by Routiers.
Around 100 RDC members would receive compensation, president Simon Greenly said.
The concession by the French is seen as an admission of them of a degree of guilt for the difficulties experienced by foreign drivers.
While British drivers will be compensated, the French decision does not affect the position of haulage firms, many of which have suffered substantial loss of earnings.
• Routiers axis shifts and world driving championship report, see page 54.