ROME (Dispatches) - Italian taxi and private hire drivers staged a protest outside the Transport Ministry in Rome on Monday over soaring fuel prices, warning that demonstrations could escalate into a strike, according to ANSA news agency.
Taxi associations It Taxi, Uritaxi and Unicoop, joined by private hire operators from Unitrav, organized the demonstration, with no service disruptions reported so far, while other unions planned a major gathering in Florence on Tuesday.
The protesters are demanding greater tax relief, including the restoration of tax credits that have progressively been reduced.
Carlo di Alessandro of Federtaxi Cisal said operating costs had increased by 25% to 30% since the crisis began, stressing that a strike remained among the options under consideration.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini and Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi are scheduled to meet representatives of the road freight sector Tuesday to discuss structural challenges following the government’s allocation of €105 million (more than $127 million) in emergency support last week.
Italy has also joined the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia in seeking European Union approval to extend temporary agricultural assistance to cover rising fuel costs for farmers.
The proposal is expected to be presented at Tuesday’s EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting.
In France, groups and unions called for further demonstrations as they sought to maintain pressure on the government after a huge security operation helped to contain unrest during nationwide rallies on Saturday.
The Interior Ministry said 410,000 people took part in Saturday’s marches as authorities deployed 70,000 police, helping to avert a repeat of the looting and vandalism that swept many cities on October 17.
Labor leaders urged further protests next Saturday and a nationwide strike on November 5, saying frustration over wages, living costs and public services was spreading far beyond the student movement that first mobilized last month.