Meetings of Norman truckers in Rouen, Le Havre and Caen to demand wage increases
It all started with a video posted a few weeks ago on social networks by a driver from Saint-Nazaire, calling on truck drivers to mobilize everywhere in France this Friday, to ask for salary increases and more recognition. A call supported by the Sud Solidaires union, and in particular relayed in Normandy by Arnaud Bazire, truck driver for 22 years, he works for a Rouen transport company.
In Normandy, trucker gatherings are scheduled from 6 a.m. this Friday near Rouen, at the cow roundabout in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Le Havre in Harfleur at the Brèque roundabout, and in Caen at oil depots near the Calix viaduct. No roadblocks, no blocking, but the truckers will distribute leaflets, which risks causing slowdowns.
Currently, the maximum hourly rate for truckers is 10.49 euros per hour explains Arnaud Bazire, only a cent more than the minimum wage, the same rate for 20 years he assures. The truck drivers are therefore asking for an increase for make the profession more attractive, because companies have difficulty recruiting.
They also want to alert the general public and claimant more recognition, They continued to circulate during the first lockdown, with no highway areas or restaurants open.
Truck drivers can retire from the age of 57, because they currently work much more than 35 weeks, but they fear that this CFA, the end-of-service leave, be called into question by the government.