Hauliers press for 10% fee increase despite Ahern's offer

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) is to press ahead with its demands for a 10 per cent increase in haulage fees from today, despite the intervention of the Taoiseach after the hauliers' day of action on Friday.

Following the Taoiseach's offer of a committee made up of representatives of four Government departments to examine the hauliers' grievances, the IRHA issued a statement welcoming the establishment of the committee and agreeing to take part "in a spirit of partnership".

But the IRHA president, Mr Gerry McMahon, said the setting up of the committee did not preclude the proposed 10 per cent surcharge which the association is seeking to implement from today.

The Competition Authority has written to the hauliers seeking clarification of the increase in light of a 1998 undertaking given by the IRHA to the High Court not to engage in anything which would be considered price-fixing.

Mr McMahon said yesterday the surcharge was not a price-fixing issue.

"The request for a surcharge would be negotiated by individual hauliers and the 10 per cent is a negotiating position. It could be that some hauliers would accept two per cent, for others 10 per cent would not be enough.

"That is not price fixing and I think the Competition Authority possibly misunderstood what was being sought" he said.

Mr McMahon said the hauliers were pleased with the proposals for the committee, which would address a broad range of issues in relation to haulage companies. He said the difficulty in the past had been that at least four departments had some responsibility for regulation of the industry and "for the first time this will bring all the players together around one table".

"Everybody is now focused on the price of diesel and while the protest achieved that, there are underlying problems in the industry and have been for some years and these will now be addressed." The committee is to have its first meeting next week. The offer from the Taoiseach to set it up, which was conveyed to members of the national council of the IRHA at their meeting on Saturday, averted further protests.

It is understood some members of the national council favoured more disruptive protests than those of last Friday.

Some members were expected to make a strong case for continental-style blockades at Saturday's meeting, but the Taoiseach's offer defused the situation.

Shipping companies in Dublin Port will today face demands for a 10 per cent increase in the price of their contracts, effective immediately.

The IRHA has distanced itself from any suggestion of intimidation saying its members did not demand the increase and threaten to cut off services.