French Truckers to Mull Offer Aimed at Ending Fuel Protest

Trucking leaders in France said early today that they were satisfied with a government offer to reduce their gasoline bills but that they planned to consult with union members before deciding whether to end a blockade of the nation’s oil refineries and fuel depots.

The three trucking unions involved did not plan to announce a decision on ending the protest--which began Monday and has caused many gas stations to run dry--until after a new meeting with Transportation Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot later today, said Christian Rose, the national secretary of the UNOSTRA union.

After 12 hours of talks, the minister offered the truckers a 5-cent reimbursement for approximately each quart of fuel for this year, and a tax refund of about 3.5 cents for each quart of gasoline next year, among other measures, Rose said.

The offers “are real advances that must be examined from a distance, taking account of the evolution of negotiations,” he said.

Many of France’s gas stations ran dry, and local governments began rationing gasoline Tuesday as French truckers expanded a blockade on oil refineries and fuel depots in support of demands for lower taxes. Motorists faced long lines at the pump as the nationwide protests against soaring fuel prices entered a second day.

Truckers, joined by farmers, ambulance drivers and cabdrivers, blockaded more than 85 oil refineries and fuel depots around the country Tuesday. It was still unclear whether other categories of workers would continue striking if the truckers called off their protest.

Television news stations showed gas pumps around the country covered with “out of order” signs. On Tuesday, up to 80% of TotalFinaElf’s 5,500 gas stations around France had run out of gas or faced dwindling stocks, said Elisabeth de Beaumont, a spokeswoman for the French oil and gas group.

Dwindling supplies forced officials in many regions to reserve gas stations for the use of emergency and police vehicles. Some drivers in search of gas crossed into neighboring countries to fill their tanks.

In the Mediterranean city of Nice, truckers blocked vehicles from entering the international airport Tuesday. Some travelers had to carry their luggage from the airport entrance, said an airport spokesman, Philippe Bellissent.

Bellissent said that planes flying into Nice from Paris and other European points had been advised to travel with twice the normal fuel load. Demonstrators on Monday had tried to block aircraft from refueling.

In Paris, about 15 barges joined the protest, partially blocking the Seine, and boat operators said they planned to completely stop river traffic there today.

The nationwide protest took its inspiration from a strike last week by fishermen that ended when the Agriculture Ministry agreed to compensate them for rising fuel prices.