Italian Customs strike jams border crossings
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• Industrial action by Italian Customs officers has escalated from a work-to-rule to five days of strikes which threatens to trap British lorry drivers at the border.
The strike action began yesterday (3 April) and is set to flare up again on 5, 8, 9 and 10 April as the Customs officers continue their fight for improved conditions and job security. Last week CM reported delays of up to four days for British drivers who were caught up in the Customs work-to-rule.
Among the companies hit was MFL of Willington, County Durham, which had a driver delayed from 23 to 26 March in Pordenome, Northern Italy. Lewis Davies, owner of MFL, says: "The drivers ought to blockade the borders in protest the strike action is likely to leave thousands of trucks stranded."
He predicts that after the advent of the Single European Market in 1992 "thousands of Customs officers will be sacked" because lorry drivers will be able to go straight to their destination before handling the paperwork. 'The Germans are already very good at this," says Davies. "They should be allowed to run Europe".
In the past week MFL has attempted to beat the delays by sending drivers to Milan where clearance takes a day.