The trucks of Sicilian companies will remain in the yards for almost a week. The Transport section of Confindustria Catania proclaimed the stoppage of road transport from 00.00 on 16 October to 00.00 on the 22nd. According to the association’s press release, the decision was taken unanimously after months of discussion with the institutions which did not provide the expected responses. During the stop, the essential services required by law will still be guaranteed. But the mobilization risks continuing to the bitter end if concrete solutions are not reached.
Diesel and the double increase in sea prices
At the basis of the protest, writes Confindustria, there is an economic condition that is now unsustainable. The association cites the average monthly price of automotive diesel reported by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security: compared to February it would have risen by around 35 cents per litre, to exceed 2.16 euros in September (for a heavy vehicle that covers 100 thousand kilometers a year, the bill grows by over 8 thousand euros in eight months). For those who work on the island the insult is double, because the shipowners, explains Confindustria, pass on the burdens of the European ETS system on emissions and fuel adjustments on the ferry fares. In practice, the same trip pays twice.
The Sea modal shift node
The other front is the Sea modal shift, the state incentive for combined road-sea transport, heir to the old Marebonus. The first annuity, which had to be paid by July, has not yet arrived. The resources allocated cover around a fifth of the needs declared by companies, and the unit contribution has fallen from 30 cents to just over 6 cents per vehicle-kilometre. According to the association, the commitments made in April to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport were also disregarded. Confindustria recognizes that the Region has allocated funds and opened a serious discussion, the problem is that a large part of those sums awaits the European green light, while diesel fuel is paid every day, in advance and in full.
What businesses are asking for
Confindustria wants immediate payment of the first annuity, a certain timetable for the second and more resources for the third, to be refinanced also with ETS proceeds. He then asks for defined times to notify Brussels of the part of the regional contributions that exceeds the de minimis regime, with the guarantee that that money does not end up in budget savings. The list is completed by the extension of the eligible period to 31 December 2026 and a permanent table on insularity. Sonia Nicosia, president of Transport section of Confindustria Cataniaassures that the association is willing to negotiate until the last minute and to suspend the detention in the face of concrete answers. Otherwise, after October 22nd the stop will continue indefinitely. These are the full words contained in the press release:
We acknowledge the regional government for having allocated resources and for having opened a serious discussion, but a substantial part of those sums remains subject to European authorization, and in the meantime companies pay for diesel every day, in advance and in full. The stop is not an act against anyone: it is the way to make visible what happens when trucks stop. Five days without transportation means empty shelves, stopped production, lost perishable goods. It’s the value of a job that everyone takes for granted while it’s there. We remain available for discussion until the last minute. If concrete answers arrive, we are ready to suspend the initiative. But we can no longer accept that commitments made are met with other commitments. If we have not received feedback by the end of October 22nd, the detention will continue indefinitely. It is not a threat, it is the consequence of a condition that leaves companies no further margin.
It’s not the only protest
At the end of September the Sicilian hauliers’ committee, coordinated by Salvatore Bella, had already proclaimed its own closure for the same reasons, with semi-trailers away from the island’s ports from 16 to 20 October. For five days, therefore, the two mobilizations will travel in parallel.
