Ministers to end deadlock on truckers’ hours

Date: 28/09/00

By Renée Cordes

EU TRANSPORT ministers will agree next week to exclude self-employed truckers from planned new working-time rules for now, breaking a two-year deadlock over the issue.

But governments are still deeply divided over proposed EU-wide weekend and night-time driving restrictions, preventing France from brokering a much-sought wider deal to harmonise rules on hauliers' working conditions.

"Eleven out of 15 member states are ready to reach a compromise on working hours but views diverge quite substantially on weekend and night-time bans," said Wim Smolders of the International Road Transport Union. The debate comes against the background of recent blockades by truckers in several EU capitals, in protest against high fuel prices. Lorry drivers are threatening further demonstrations along Luxembourg's borders on the eve of next week's ministerial meeting, demanding that Union governments approve the European Commission's proposal, which would reduce the average working week for truckers by 12 hours to 48.

Diplomats say that even though agreement on the contentious issue of self-employed drivers is in sight, it will be hard - if not impossible - to reach a deal on the whole package. French presidency sources also admit it will be "very difficult" to get agreement on all three measures by the end of this year, even though they have made the issue a priority for their term at the EU helm. A compromise deal would, however, be a small consolation prize for France before it hands the dossier over to the Swedish presidency.

Diplomats say most member states could live with the latest plan, which would limit the working-time rules to drivers employed by trucking firms and extend them to independent drivers later.

The battle over truckers' hours has been raging for more than two years, since the Commission unveiled proposals to bring a range of 'excluded' sectors within the scope of the 1993 working time rules. The move was aimed at harmonising a patchwork of national restrictions and promoting the free movement of goods.

Member states with a large number of 'owner-drivers' fear hundreds of independent hauliers would be driven out of business if they were forced to comply with the directive. But France, which has a strongly unionised road transport sector staffed mainly by employee drivers, believes independent truckers would be given an unfair advantage if they were excluded from the rules.

Officials believe Paris would agree to give self-employed drivers a temporary reprieve if it could convince other member states to go along with the weekend and night-time restrictions. But some countries with strict limits on night and weekend driving are unwilling to endorse weaker EU-wide rules, insisting their tougher measures are vital to ease traffic congestion and reduce pollution.

EU transport ministers are due to agree to exclude self-employed truckers from planned new working-time rules for now, breaking a two-year deadlock over the issue.