Extracting cash from the French
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Here we go again! Rumblings from the French unions indicate a that another strike is on the way: the smart money says that the roads in France will be blockaded in the first or second weeks of November.
A handful of hauliers have received compensation from the 1992 strike and a smaller handful have extracted payments for last year's strikes.
A strike will certainly cost British and Irish hauliers and drivers money; the main reason why the French authorities are reluctant to pay compensation seems to be that hauliers are unable to prove beyond doubt that they were held up in the blockades. A few simple instructions to drivers will dramatically improve operators' chances of recouping at least some of their losses: Try to get evidence that you were stopped; tell your drivers to keep a diary and, if they can, to take photographs of other vehicles in the area.
Trade union representatives are usually sympathetic to the position of drivers and issue daily bulletins of strikes. Get copies of these, and remember that unions reps will probably be happy to sign tachograph charts as extra proof. Under French law you have a right to make a complaint to the local Gendarmerie if your vehicle is held up in a blockade against your will. If you're a victim use that right and have your say with the Gendarmerie.
The local mayor is obigecl to give a statement confirming that roads in his area are blockaded (the mayor's office is usually situated near the Gendarmerie).
Finally, keep receipts of anything you have bought in the area: the more you can provide, the better chance you have of recovering your money.
Blockading a road is almost certainly a breach of the Treaty of Rome. The more evidence you gather, the better you chances of making a successful claim.