Bruce Barnard | Dec 11, 2009 1:07PM EST
A truck driver strike that could have paralyzed European logistics networks was avoided when French truck drivers and employers reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Dec. 11.
Union officials said they would call off an indefinite walk out due to start on Sunday night after reaching an outline accord with trucking companies. The agreement, which has yet to be signed by the two sides, meets the unions’ demand for a 4 percent wage hike for France’s 610,000 truck drivers.
The French government intervened in the negotiations earlier in the week amid fears the stoppage would paralyze the nation’s transport system, including container terminals, and distribution hubs in the busy run up to Christmas. The disruption would have affected supply chains far beyond France's borders.
Unions also threatened to block access routes to major companies and industrial zones unless their demands were met.
Contact Bruce Barnard at brucebarnard47@hotmail.com.
