Italy's truck roadblocks set to end; government approves aid decree

Truck roadblocks in southern Italy were set to end in Sicily and Calabria on 22 October, Reuters reported, as the government approved a decree with aid measures for the hauliers. The protest by truck drivers over soaring fuel prices had disrupted food, fuel and hospital supplies across the region.

The protest expanded over the days before that. By 19 October, roadblocks had increased in Calabria, and drivers staged sit-ins at the gates of Potenza in Basilicata and outside the Puglia regional government headquarters in Bari. ANSA reported empty shelves in shops. Ports in Sicily were blocked by 20 October, and Reuters reported that Italy's pasta production was under threat.

In Campania, truck drivers were forced to stop by violent methods, including slashed tyres, according to ANSA reporting from 21 October.

The government took a series of steps. It arranged criminal complaints and escorts for truck drivers who request them during the blockades. A government summit at Palazzo Chigi, the prime minister's office in Rome, guaranteed escorts for drivers who want to work. Corriere della Sera reported that authorities had identified 1,339 truck drivers in connection with the roadblocks.

Italy's Council of Ministers, the cabinet, approved a decree with aid measures in response to the hauliers' protests, according to Sky TG24. Support measures for road haulage, agriculture and fishing had also been planned. Italy's strike guarantee authority, the Garante, called for an end to the truck roadblocks.

The trucking association Fedralog suspended its protest in Calabria, reactivating food deliveries to shops.