PARIS (Reuters) - French truckers began blocking roads across France on Monday as they continued a protest against high fuel prices and urged the government to help the industry.
The nationwide day of action announced by the main haulageassociations included roadblocks and so-called "snail"operations by convoys of slow-moving trucks and is expected todisrupt traffic severely, especially on highways.
But in a gesture intended to minimise delays for nearlyhalf a million students sitting their baccalaureat examinationson Monday, the protest action was delayed until 8 a.m. Britishtime and is expected to end at 3 p.m British time.
"It's not about punishing transport users, it's aboutsending a warning to the government," said Philippe Fournier,an official of Unostra, an association that mainly representssmall haulage firms. "It has to accept its responsibilities."
Traffic was already building up around Paris and on roadsleading to major towns including Lyon and Toulouse bymid-morning, the road traffic authority said.
A convoy of private ambulances heading towards the ministryof health delayed traffic in central Paris and a convoy oftrucks heading towards the southwestern city of Bordeauxcreated traffic tailbacks of around 20 km (12 miles).
Coming a day before a separate day of action by unionsagainst plans to reform working hours and pension laws, thefuel protests add to a climate of discontent as France preparesto assume the presidency of the European Union next month.
Monday's operation was the latest in a series of protestsby groups ranging from truckers to fishermen aimed atpressuring the government to provide help in coping with thesoaring cost of fuel, notably through tax relief.
Similar protests by groups particularly vulnerable torising fuel prices have been held across Europe in recentweeks, lifting the issue of oil prices to the top of the policyagenda.
In addition to fuel costs which have been multiplied byfive over the past five years, the FNTR road transportassociation says highway tolls have gone up 25 percent in thepast three years and also complains of rising payroll costs.
It says bankruptcies among transport operators have risen25 percent in the first three months of the year from a yearearlier, with 500 firms going out of business.
(Reporting by James Mackenzie, additional reporting byJean-Francois Rosnoblet in Marseille, editing by Stephen Weeks)
