Hauliers' strike in southern Italy disrupts fuel and food supplies

Hauliers from several regions of southern Italy were on Monday 19 October on the fourth day of a strike, with road blockades, in protest at the rise in the price of diesel, according to EFE. In Campania they blocked the junction between the A1 and A30 motorways, causing tailbacks several kilometres long, according to the agency.

The average price of diesel on motorways that day was 2.297 euros per litre, according to Ministry of Enterprises data cited by EFE. The supply problems began in the province of Taranto, where labour protests at the former Ilva steelworks blocked access to the Eni refinery, and spread to other parts of Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria and to some petrol stations in Naples, according to EFE. According to Eni data reported by trans.info, on 15 October about 150 of its 270 petrol stations in Apulia had run out of fuel. A local outlet reported that the blockade of the refinery was lifted on 16 October.

According to LaPresse, on 20 October the Stellantis plant in Atessa (Abruzzo) suspended production for lack of components and protesters blocked an access point to the port of Naples. Confcommercio warned of supply problems, especially of fresh and perishable food.

Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini was scheduled to meet the sector's associations at the Prefecture of Milan on 20 October, according to LaPresse. The government is considering bringing forward the use of 590 million euros already allocated to fleet renewal, according to the same agency.

The real extent of shortages in supermarkets is not known: EFE mentions images of empty shelves shared on social media, without verifying them.