French truck drivers plan disruption on 18 and 19 December.

As truck drivers in Belgium take part in a national general strike today, the main trade union representing French truck drivers, the CFDT, is now expected to stage industrial action on 18 and 19 December, the aim being to block the delivery of goods from warehouses to retail outlets and cause maximum disruption to the supply chain ahead of the last weekend for shopping before Christmas. The threatened protest follows the breakdown in talks with employers over pay. The CFDT claims its members are now earning less than the minimum wage after a pay freeze over the past two years and are demanding a monthly net increase of €100. They say haulage firms now have more room for manoeuvre to raise wages since the introduction of a tax credit scheme and the decline in fuel prices. But employers are offering a hike of 1%, arguing that operating margins remain very low. The other French truck driver unions are not part of the call to action. They have issued a separate strike threat from 18 January, two days after the next scheduled round of negotiations with employers. Meanwhile, today Belgian truck drivers are taking part in a multi-profession 24-hour general strike across Belgium.