SIPTU has warned hauliers that if today's protest goes ahead it will expect any workers laid off as a result, including truck drivers, to be paid. The union vice-president, Mr Jack O'Connor, issued a similar warning to the meat factories when they were blockaded by farmers earlier this year and he said yesterday that full compensation had been obtained for laid-off workers.
Asked if unionised drivers would participate in the Irish Road Haulage Association "go-slow", Mr O'Connor said: "so long as they are not required to break the law, they'll drive, but if people are laid off in the course of this exercise we will treat the situation in the same way as the meat factories."
He added: "We have been calling for reductions in excise duty on diesel, petrol and heating oil for four months. I have a lot of sympathy with people like this - so long as they don't get something the rest of the country doesn't get and reduce the exchequer resources available for general reductions in indirect taxes."
The ICTU general secretary, Mr Peter Cassells, said fuel prices affected "everybody who puts petrol in their car or fuel in their central heating tank. Our agenda since last May has been to address this issue in a way that helps everybody.
The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland was critical of the hauliers, even though many IRHA members are affiliated to local chambers. Last night, the CCI chief executive, Mr Simon Nugent, was still hopeful the IRHA could be dissuaded from its action. "There is some sympathy for hauliers, all businesses have similar problems to a lesser extent, but this action is being taken too early and is ill-considered."
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association has reached agreement with the IRHA that collection of 3.3 million gallons of milk for creameries will not be affected by the protest. The ICMSA president, Mr Pat O'Rourke, said milk tanker drivers would not be delayed by IRHA convoys.
The Irish Farmers' Association said the hauliers' demands were too narrow, and, if conceded, would only benefit their own industry. The Irish Business and Employers' Confederation condemned the proposed 24-hour protest. Its enterprise director, Ms Jackie Harrison, said it would "produce traffic gridlock", which would have consequences for business and "society at large". The director of the Small Firms Association, Mr Pat Delaney, expressed the fear at the back of many people's minds when he said the action, once started, "may be difficult to contain".