French Truckers Block Borders to Protest Work Hours
French truckers set up dozens of roadblocks at border crossings around the country Tuesday as they led a worldwide day of protest against long working hours in the haulage industry.
The International Transport Workers Federation, which organized the day of action on four continents, said it wanted to raise awareness of poor working conditions for drivers rather than to paralyze global traffic.
Unions in most countries called for simple leaflet-distribution campaigns, but France’s truckers used the event to make a high-profile call for the introduction of a 48-hour workweek for drivers throughout the 15-nation European Union.
They erected more than 50 barricades at frontier crossings, sometimes with the help of their European colleagues, causing long delays for cars and bringing much cross-border truck traffic to a standstill.
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