The Slovak Union of Motor Carriers – UNAS – that organised a strike beginning February 1 to force the government to change the rules of the electronic toll collection system and its fees and to postpone its launch, is not considering stopping the strike, the chairman of the organisation committee of UNAS, Jaroslav Polaček, told the SITA newswire.
On February 2 he said the priority for that day is a demonstration in front of the Government Office planned for 15:00. The small and mid-sized trucking entrepreneurs started the strike on February 1 demanding tolls on 1st class roads of only 333 kilometres instead of the current 1,500.
The truckers are still blocking some roads in Slovakia though they failed to arrive in Bratislava in large numbers. In some places, for example Banská Bystrica, Trnava, and Košice, truckers have gradually ended their protests – partially due to police actions, partially disappointed by the inactivity of other truckers. In Prešov, they protested for 14 hours on February 1 and some strikers were interrogated by police and one lost his driving license. The police have not published any official statement, SITA wrote. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
