The Government is open to engaging with fuel protesters and examining further measures to ease the burden of high prices, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has indicated – but only through established channels and if the protests are brought to an end.
“The Government is open to mechanisms to engage with the protesters,” the Taoiseach told The Irish Times, adding that this could be done “through established negotiating channels”.
Fuel price protesters said on Thursday night that they had secured a meeting with Government Ministers on Friday.
One of the protest organisers, James Geoghegan, claimed negotiators will join a meeting at Government Buildings on Friday afternoon, alongside the Irish Road Haulage Association and the Irish Farmers’ Association.
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Speaking on RTÉ’s Prime Time on Thursday night, Geoghegan described the meeting as a “breakthrough”, though added that disruptions will continue on Friday regardless.
“We have a list of demands going into the Government tomorrow, very reasonable demands,” he said.
Geoghegan said they had “pulled in the protests off O’Connell Bridge”, adding: “The word has gone down to lift the blockades off kerosene.”
The Taoiseach said further measures to ease the burden of fuel prices, including the broadening of existing measures, could be possible through negotiations. This is thought to include further relief on green diesel and a possible extension of the diesel rebate scheme. However, it is thought unlikely that any price caps will be on the table.
It is understood some backchannels have been opened to the protesters through Government TDs, which could facilitate exchanges, though Government is anxious not to undercut established organisations.
“We are open to mechanisms,” the Taoiseach said. “But the strikes will have to end first.”
After days of hardline statements from the Government and the activation of the Defence Forces on Thursday, the Taoiseach’s comments signal a desire to find a way of defusing the increasingly fraught atmosphere around the fuel protests, now entering their fourth day.
He was uncompromising, however, about the need to end the protests and it is expected that action by the gardaí and the Defence Forces overnight and on Friday morning will ensure access to key sites, including the Whitegate refinery in Cork.
It was the blockading of the refinery on Wednesday – considered vital to maintaining the supply of fuel – that triggered the activation of the Defence Forces in support of the gardaí.
[ Calling in the Defence Forces against fuel protesters is a huge strategic errorOpens in new window ]
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said the gardaí, assisted by the Defence Forces if necessary, would ensure that “critical infrastructure and fuel depots” would be accessible. He also warned of legal consequences for the protesters.
The third day of protests saw widespread disruption in Dublin and across the country, with motorways and junctions blocked. In Dublin, some people left vehicles on the M50 to walk towards the airport due to the stoppages.
As petrol stations in some parts of the country began to run short of fuel, some began to limit purchases, while long queues formed outside stations in some areas. Retailers reported empty shelves in some stores, as industry group Retail Ireland said the protests were blocking or delaying deliveries. Organisers of the protests said they would continue for a fourth day on Friday.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald called on the Government to meet protesters and act on their demands. She condemned the Government move to bring in the Defence Forces, saying it was wrong to “escalate and aggravate” the situation.
Meanwhile, the country’s largest business lobby told the Government on Thursday that ongoing blockades are jeopardising “cornerstones of the Irish economy”, calling on the Coalition to “enforce law and order”.
Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy wrote that in pharmaceuticals and biopharma, Ireland’s reputation as a “stable hub for life sciences is at risk”, adding he was aware of a site that has ceased production, while pointing to severe difficulties in construction, hospitality and retail as well.
