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Police Fines Fail to Discourage Hauliers Blocking Road to Zvolen
Monday 01 February 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Zvolen, February 1 (TASR) - Fines and the confiscation of driving-licences have failed to discourage dozens of hauliers from blocking a road entering Zvolen (Banska Bystrica region) as of Monday morning.
"We're only using our right to go on strike, anchored in the Slovak Constitution. We aren't blocking the whole road, just one part," haulier Ondrej Cervenak told TASR on Monday. "Police officers have already taken away our driving-licences and have given us a fine of €60, which we refused to pay," he added.
According to Cervenak, this is a spontaneous move by hauliers from Zvolen, Detva and Lucenec (all Banska Bystrica region) who want to protect their rights. "We all know each other. We only agreed on a strike yesterday (Sunday). The police are trying to get us out of here, but we're going to stay as long as is necessary," he added.
The Union of Slovak Road Transporters (UNAS) announced on Wednesday afternoon that hauliers would go on strike as of February 1, while calling for a reduction in the road-toll network, the suspension of toll collection until the end of June, and the removal of shortcomings in the system.
The hauliers say that their action is aimed at re-establishing acceptable conditions for the transport sector after the problematic introduction of electronic tolls on January 1.
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