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Vazny: Blockade of Border Crossings Has to Be Lawful
Tuesday 22 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - The threatened blockade of border crossings on January 3 by transport companies, who are demanding discounts on road-toll tariffs, could end up in the courts if it isn't carried out in line with the law, warned Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny on Tuesday.
"Either it will have the requisites of a strike and the blockade will be in line with such a strike, or it won't have the requisites of a strike and will be, in our opinion, unlawful with all the consequences that follow from that," cautioned the minister.
Vazny said that transport companies would therefore have to bear other costs apart from those that they are complaining about in connection to the introduction of an electronic road-toll system on January 1. According to Vazny, if the ministry wins a possible legal dispute, the carriers will be obliged to cover the losses that the National Highway Company (NDS) will suffer due to international traffic being diverted away from Slovakia's territory.
Nonetheless, Vazny described the plans to block the border crossings as a legitimate effort. He said that large transport companies have no problem with the rates, but added that he realises that smaller carriers could get into difficulties due to the level of the fees. He claimed that he is unable to find any system that would take small companies out of the framework, however.
According to the minister, the level of road-toll tariffs should remain unchanged for at least the next two years. Only then will it be possible to re-evaluate the whole system and make some changes in the rates.
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