A week-long transport industry strike has seriously hit express deliveries in Italy althoughoperations are slowly returning to normal now, while a separate 24-hour stoppage will impact on
operations in Belgium on Monday.Striking truck drivers blocked roads and motorway toll booths disrupting traffic across much ofthe country over the last few days in protest at the plans of Prime Minister Mario Monti toincrease fuel taxes. The strike caused fuel shortages, food shortages and forced Fiat to haltvehicle production due to a shortage of parts.
Leading express operators all warned customers during this week that the strike could lead todelayed deliveries.
TNT Express told customers earlier this week that it had taken contingency measures but couldnot guarantee normal services due to the strike. But spokesman Cyrille Gibot told CEP-Researchtoday that the situation was improving, there were no problems in northern Italy and the companyexpected to resume operations on Sardinia today. “International gateways are not affected,” hestressed. “Extra staff will work on Saturday to get through the backlog. We want to start next weekwith a clean slate.”
SDA, the Poste Italiane subsidiary, said today that the situation was improving but there werestill major problems in some parts of southern Italy and Sardinia. It said that its serviceguarantees would not apply in the case of circumstances beyond its control and that it would do itsutmost to deliver delayed parcels as soon as possible.
UPS Italy stated yesterday that the strike was affecting collections and deliveries throughoutItaly and issued a list of regions where it was unable to provide normal services. It also remindedcustomers that its service guarantees did not apply under circumstances beyond its control.
Bartolini said at the start of the week that the protests “are making normal collection anddelivery activities very difficult” and it could not guarantee normal delivery times to customers.DHL Express said it was undertaking special measures to limit the impact of the strike on itsoperations. GLS Italy issued a similar warning to customers about the impact on its activities.
Meanwhile, a 24-hour strike by public and private sector workers in Belgium on Monday (January30) in protest at government cuts could hit postal and parcels deliveries. Flights will be impactedat Brussels airport after pilots agreed to join the strike.
Bpost International said the strike, from 22.00 on Sunday evening to 22.00 on Monday evening,could mean a one-day delay to distribution times. But its EMC international sorting centre inBrussels would be open for business.
TNT Express, whose European air hub is located at Liege airport, does not expect majordisruption from the Belgian strike, spokesman Cyrille Gibot said. “We expect to operate normally onSunday and Monday. We will have more staff working on Sunday to speed up sorting so that the planescan take off and vehicles can depart before 22.00,” he said.
