Most of the acronyms representing the category of hauliers have asked the government to intervene to to put an end to the blockades implemented by truck drivers in the South. A following yesterday's meeting in Milan with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, today asked A decisive and immediate intervention by the Minister is urgently needed of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, to remove the garrisons that - have explained the representative associations in a statement - "from days are blocking the South with impacts that are no longer sustainable both for the sector itself and for the system of supplies to the entire community, penalizing seriously citizens and businesses".

"Continue to block the country - continues the statement - is no longer justifiable after the government has reopened the dialogue with the category and has made important commitments in continuity with the agreement of Palazzo Chigi to recognize immediate liquidity to road haulage companies and identify the measures necessary to deal with the current situation. The associations of the Register, with a great sense of responsibility towards the country and the companies they represent, continue to believe that confrontation is the only possible way to face the current emergency with realism. Forms of protest with roadblocks and threats that prevent the free movement of Not only do goods and people not only produce no results for the category, seriously damaged also in the image, but they end up to further compromise the already delicate situation economic ".

The press release was signed by Anita, Cna/Fita, Confartigianato Trasporti, Fai, Fedit, Fiap, Sna Casartigiani, Confcooperative Lavoro e Servizi, Legacoop Produzione e Servizi, Unatras and Assotir.

Of a completely different opinion is the road haulage association Ruote Libere: "I find it shameful - said the president of the association, Cinzia Franchini - and the national associations of road transport, instead of questioning the reasons that have prompted many colleagues to take to the streets, ask the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi to intervene to put end to the protests. They are the same associations that yesterday, after meeting with Salvini, declared themselves satisfied with the commitments of the government. Too bad that the hauliers do not think about it and continued to demonstrate. It is evident that something is not working, and the hauliers are certainly not the ones problem".

Recalling that yesterday, on the economic front, Salvini announced the start of payments of tax credits on diesel, indicating about 2,000 beneficiary companies per day out of 32,000, and has opened the possibility of introducing a cap on the price of the fuel, Franchini welcomed the unblocking of the resources, "but - he specified - let us remember that we speak broadly funds already allocated and expected for months. We cannot continue to present as new concessions sums that companies have been waiting for a long time. And above all, the problem cannot be solved with a one-off refreshment. Structural measures are needed to prevent increases in diesel fuel to be passed on entirely to the road transport".

"Let it be clear," Franchini continued, "no one can prevent a colleague from working, force him to adhere to the protest or resort to violence and intimidation. The protest must be peaceful and respect the rights of all. But - he denounced the president of Ruote Libere - is equally unacceptable that those who should represent and defend companies invoke the intervention of the Minister of the Interior against a mobilization born months of economic suffering. One wonders if all this urgency to put an end to the demonstrations does not also depend on the fact that that, the more the protests continue, the more evident it becomes the distance between associations and hauliers who claim to represent".

Franchini also recalled a fundamental difference between North and South, which - he explained - helps to understand why the protest has developed above all in the South: "many companies in the North - he clarified - work directly with the and, despite a thousand difficulties, they have at least succeeded in part to pass on the higher fuel costs to tariffs. In the South, on the other hand, intermediated relationships are much more frequent agencies and other road haulage companies. This makes it much more difficult to obtain the necessary economic adjustments. They are companies who have resisted for months, often working with margins now non-existent. Frankly, they resisted even too much."

Ruote Libere also made a direct request to the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. "We do not feed - he said Franchini - high expectations with respect to the announcements of Salvini, who during this legislature has not demonstrated, to In our opinion, particular attention to the needs of road transport. We hope that President Meloni will decide to intervene personally, also listening to those who demonstrate and not today only the traditional associations. Because the problem is not is to convince hauliers to return home. The problem is to put their companies in a position to continue to work. And however this ends up mobilization, to colleagues who had the courage to organize themselves goes our thanks. They have demonstrated that hauliers know how to reason with their own head and do not need anyone's authorization to make hear their own voice. It is a sign that politics and associations would do well not to underestimate them".

A firm no to the transport blockade was reiterated today by the Sustainable Intermodality Logistics Association: "ALIS - said the vice president of the association, Marcello Di Caterina - is totally opposed to any form of blocking of transport services, which compromises the freedom of circulation of goods and ends up harming citizens, families and businesses. The right to demonstrate cannot result in a disruption of logistics and essential connections for the country, with economic and social issues are increasingly heavy, especially in the South".

"In the light of yesterday's meeting between Minister Salvini and trade associations, from which solutions emerged for the entire sector and for road transport - added Di Caterina - we believe it is essential to continue the discussion with the Government to continue to identify measures to support for businesses. However, it is essential immediately restore full operation of services: dialogue and a sense of responsibility must prevail over forms of protest that penalize the entire economic system national team".