UK road hauliers seek support for fuel protests

07 December 2007 16:05  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--Fuel price campaign group Transaction 2007 began rallying support for protests on Friday after a unanimous decision was made to begin action which could include blockades at UK refineries.

 

The group, which is unhappy over high fuel prices, said it would begin “legal protest action” with dates and times of planned events to be published over the next few days.

 

“Your attention should be focused on the day of Sunday 9 December for a further release,” Transaction said in a statement, adding that no further information would be given to the media until then.

 

Group spokesman Chris Hunter posted a blog request for people in southern England to email him so he had an idea of numbers prepared to participate.

 

Another post by a member on the group's website indicated action could be planned for refineries around the UK.

 

“At the moment we have 389 members and 12 major refineries,” it said. “If we got a full turnout that would be 33 members per refinery so that would be quite effective.”

 

But a UK Petroleum Industry spokesman said at this stage it was not worried about impending action.

 

It is difficult to gauge what action Transaction 2007 might have planned, he said, adding that the industry’s responses and defences were better developed than they had been to cope with the UK-wide blockades in 2000.

 

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has distanced itself from the pressure group and said in a statement it was not associated with Transaction 2007.

“The RHA will always support members who wish to protest legally where members have expressed that wish through the RHA regional organisation,” it said.

But it condemned posts on the Transaction 2007 site which suggested legal and peaceful protests would produce no results and that more direct action should be taken as unacceptable. 

Transaction 2007 is the same group that organised farmers and haulage contractors in 2000 into major protests, including the blockading of refineries.  

By: Lucy Craymer
+44 20 8652 3214

< previous article(VIDEO - ICIS news Asia Lunchtime Bulletin 16 October 2009)

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly