Protests by truck drivers will begin at midnight tonight, after the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) failed to win a commitment from the Government to reduce excise duty on diesel by 33 per cent. Significant disruption is expected following the confirmation by the IRHA president, Mr Gerry McMahon, that members will hold a "slow-moving protest" for 24 hours from midnight on key national routes. The protests will focus on Cork, Waterford, Galway, Limerick and Dublin. Mr McMahon called on motorists who "don't have to make journeys throughout Ireland" to stay at home tomorrow.
Following a meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in Government Buildings yesterday evening, at which the IRHA failed to secure an immediate reduction in excise duties, the association called on all hauliers to impose a 10 per cent fuel surcharge on customers as a "temporary measure".
After the meeting, Mr Ahern said he fully appreciated the impact of increased oil prices on truck drivers. While it is expected that the Budget will contain measures to reduce fuel costs, Mr Ahern confined himself to saying that "all options" were "under review".
"We have already given a firm commitment to the social partners in July . . . that we would address both the inflationary issues and the fuel issues and any related issues in the Budget," Mr Ahern told reporters. "I cannot start and end the process today."
Meanwhile, in Britain, the National Health Service was placed on red alert last night as 90 per cent of petrol stations remained closed. Troops were put on standby as Conservative leader Mr William Hague demanded the recall of parliament.
Whitegate refinery and oil companies have insisted there is no need for panic buying in this State, as stocks are plentiful. The IRHA said: "We are trying to keep the disruptive action managed. We don't want blockades." Mr McMahon said "under no circumstances" should hauliers "get involved with blockages or disrupting emergency services". However, he could not give an absolute guarantee that fuel suppliers would not be blocked.
"I can't guarantee for everybody, because we have a certain membership and we will try and keep control of them. There are other people, other parties involved in this. What they do is entirely up to themselves."
The IRHA has 1,200 members, but there are 4,000 licensed hauliers in the State, some of whom have said that full-scale blockades are the only way to deal with the situation.