Irish road hauliers are preparing to take protest action, which could result in a blockade of ports next Friday, if the Government fails to respond by lunchtime today to their request to discuss cuts in the cost of diesel fuel.
The Irish Road Haulage Association met on Saturday and called on the Taoiseach to intervene. It has set noon today as the deadline for a response from the Taoiseach's office.
In the absence of a response from Mr Ahern hauliers will take action which could result in a blockade of ports similar to the protests in France.
"If we haven't heard anything from the Government by lunchtime, regional meetings will be called throughout the country. This will be followed by a national council meeting in Dublin on Tuesday night", said Mr Gerry McMahon, the IRHA president.
There are nine regional branches of the IRHA, which has 1,200 members, and meetings will take place tonight if there is no Government response. "We want the Taoiseach to intervene, as the situation is critical", Mr McMahon said.
The hauliers are demanding a 20 per cent cut in excise duty for road diesel or a scheme providing for rebates. These demands were put to the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, last Wednesday, but he told the hauliers that he could not consider them before preparing the December Budget. The Minister has since reiterated this stance.
Yesterday, Mr McMahon said: "We would hope that the Government will realise the seriousness of the situation and will respond to it. That is basically why we deferred any discussions about taking action. We are hoping that they will offer us a meeting and enter negotiations."
A spokesman for the Labour Party said Mr McCreevy should immediately meet representatives of the IRHA. "It is simply not good enough, given the problems the industry faces, that the Minister refuses to meet this organisation. They have very serious concerns and the Government should make every effort to meet them and address their concerns."
If a meeting was arranged, Mr McMahon said they would defer any proposed action. "This is the reason that we specified that we would not take any action until Friday and the following Monday."
He said that no decision had been taken by the national council as to what type of action this might be. However, when asked if it could be a blockade of ports like the French protests, he replied: "It's an option, yes."
If the IRHA meetings went ahead, they would also be deciding whether to make public the course of action they planned.
The hauliers have turned to the Taoiseach following the Minister for Finance's refusal to consider their proposals.
The Minister told hauliers last Wednesday that, while he was conscious of their concerns over fuel prices, he could not give consideration to their proposals until the time of the Budget.
A spokeswoman for Mr McCreevy said the Minister told the hauliers that he could not look at one case in isolation. He had outlined the difficulties he would have with the social partners and a number of other interest groups if he did this.
Truck drivers from Co Mayo gathered in Charlestown on Saturday night to voice their frustration at the spiralling cost of diesel. More than 100 hauliers from across the county met to decide what action could be taken to make the Government aware of the impact on the industry of the continuing rise in the cost of fuel.
"I can't wait until the next Budget for Charlie McCreevy to address the situation", said Mr P.J. Walsh, of Walsh Transport, in Charlestown. "By next December I'll be gone out of business if something isn't done immediately to compensate the hauliers for the excessive increases in the price of diesel."
Another haulier, Mr Noel Howley, of Howley Transport, said that nothing less than a total blockade of Dublin port was now needed if they were to get the Government to act.
"We have no choice but to bring the whole country to a standstill. It's the only language the Government understands - blockades at all the ports and no trucks to move anywhere in the country. Last Friday I had to lay off 14 of my staff and take 10 lorries off the road as a direct result of the hike in diesel prices."
Meanwhile, the president of the ICMSA, Mr Pat O'Rourke, yesterday called for a mini-budget to be produced by the Government when the Dail re convenes on October 3rd. This was the only means by which excise duty and VAT on diesel could be reduced, he said.