Striking Truckers Set Up Roadblocks

Roadblocks sprang up like mushrooms across the country as truckers went on a nationwide strike after failing to reach an agreement with truck company owners on salary increases. The protesters swung into action even before the deadline, blocking trucks on the main north-south highway as well as at fuel depots, border crossings to Spain and Germany, and the ferry terminal to Britain at Calais. Police cleared one border crossing into Spain just after the strike officially began, but at least one union said it would try to reestablish a blockade there to shut down commercial traffic. Motorists were being let through. The unsuccessful accord would have raised drivers’ salaries by 5% a year through 2000.