The protest is causing increasingly evident repercussions on the circulation and distribution of goods: some service stations have remained without fuel, while supermarkets are starting to run out of various products, especially fresh ones. The difficulties also concern farms and producers, forced to deal with blocked deliveries and the risk of losing part of the harvest or perishable goods. Meanwhile, the government is looking for a way out of the dispute.
For further information: Truck protests against high fuel prices in the South, protests continue from Calabria to Sicily
The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini has brought forward the discussion with the representatives of the hauliers to tomorrow, 20 October, also convening the autonomous groups of Calabria, Sicily and Puglia. Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi is expected to attend the meeting, scheduled for 3pm in Milan. The opening of the table, however, did not convince the demonstrators to interrupt the mobilization early: the continuation of the detention will also depend on the outcome of the confrontation with the executive.
For further information: Protests over high fuel prices, truck strike in Southern Italy. What's happening
Today represents a decisive day especially for Sicily, where the continuation of the blockade of heavy vehicles could compromise the regular functioning of various sectors. The first to suffer from the lack of supplies are public and private road transport, service stations and large-scale retail trade. If the situation does not resolve itself, in the following days the difficulties could extend to the processing industries, without the raw materials necessary for production, and to the agricultural sector, with vehicles at a standstill and crops difficult to market. Of particular concern are passenger transport companies, which depend on diesel supplies to guarantee daily connections. Antonio Graffagnini, president of Anav Sicilia, the association representing traveler transport companies, reported that already on Friday some tankers had not made scheduled deliveries to the depots, bringing the available reserves close to the limit. In the absence of new supplies between today and tomorrow the service could undergo a drastic reduction in trips. The consequences would especially affect students and workers who use buses to reach schools and workplaces. In the event of a lack of supplies, companies will concentrate the remaining fuel on the essential routes in the time slots of greatest need, sacrificing the other connections.
Making the picture even more uncertain are the road controls, which could slow down public transport, lengthen travel times and prevent compliance with scheduled timetables, leading to possible suspensions of service. Motorists also fear being left without the possibility of refueling. After the last deliveries made on Thursday morning in various plants, many citizens decided to fill up early, without waiting for the start of the week. The rush to the pumps caused queues at the most convenient petrol stations, especially in Palermo. The managers, for their part, ensure that they can continue to sell fuel only until the stocks in the tanks are exhausted, waiting for an agreement to be reached.
Another important check concerns food distribution. The opening Sunday allowed many supermarkets to continue serving customers, but the availability in the warehouses could only last until today evening. In the absence of a solution to the dispute, the risk is that we will see new shortages on the shelves, with particular reference to the fruit, vegetable, milk and meat departments. The situation could quickly worsen if trucks do not resume regular circulation. Fresh products are in fact particularly exposed to interruptions in the logistics chain: in addition to problems for points of sale, goods that remain stationary in the production sites risk deteriorating before reaching consumers. For now, there have been no widespread attacks on supermarkets, but there is growing concern among citizens about the availability of essential goods. Some also sought reassurance from pharmacies, fearing possible repercussions on medicine supplies. For this sector, however, the picture currently appears less critical: according to the operators interviewed, medicines are among the goods excluded from the block and the depots continue to make deliveries.
In Calabria, the Fedralog hauliers' protest reached its third day yesterday, while numerous farmers from the spontaneous movements have been mobilized for about ten days. Trucks and tractors are present in 15 areas of the region, distributed along the main road links, without any complete blockages of traffic occurring in the affected points on Sunday. Among the places where the mobilization continues are the state road 534, near the Firmo-Sibari motorway junction, and the state road 106, in the Sybaris Motel area, in the Cassano area. Other garrisons are active in the Pollino district, in the Sibaritide and in the Alto Ionian area of Cosenza. Meanwhile, yesterday afternoon, some hauliers and farmers who had been carrying out the patrol for days blocked the junction of the A2 motorway at Falerna, in the Lametino area (Catanzaro).
Calabrian hauliers have confirmed that their delegation will take part in the meeting called by Salvini for Tuesday 20 October. The end of the detention is scheduled for midnight of the same day, but the outcome of the confrontation could affect subsequent initiatives. “If we do not have certain and concrete answers, we will move forward, we will intensify the mobilization and nothing is excluded,” declared one of the demonstrators present at the Calabrian demonstrations. Fedralog considers the convocation a significant step, without however considering it sufficient to resolve the reasons underlying the protest. The association reiterated that the confrontation with the government does not change, for the moment, the timetable of the detention and that the participants will continue to preside over the territory in a peaceful and orderly manner until the scheduled conclusion.
Alongside the hauliers, the mobilization of farmers continues, denouncing costs that are increasingly difficult to bear and asking for interventions capable of guaranteeing the survival of the companies. From the Bianchino district rally in Castrovillari, the protesters reported growing participation, with the involvement of producers from Cassano, Castrovillari, Cerchiara and Firmo. According to the organizers, the protest is going beyond the boundaries of the single professional category, gathering support and solidarity from part of the local community. Mayors and councilors of nearby municipalities, some representatives of the Regional Council and minority councilors of the Municipality of Castrovillari presented themselves at the demonstrations. The farmers also underlined the presence of students from the scientific high school, interpreting it as a sign of attention towards the economic and social prospects of the area. However, there was no shortage of criticism aimed at local institutions. The promoters of the Castrovillari garrison contested the absence of the mayor and the majority municipal administration, considering it particularly significant in light of the support received from other political leaders and citizens.
For further information: European Council, Meloni: "EU ok with bill decree, it will allow costs to be lowered"
