The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) is meeting the EU Transport Commissioner, Mr Neil Kinnock, this morning to discuss the worsening French truck drivers' strike, writes Emmet Oliver.
The IRHA delegation will be joined by Minister of State for Public Enterprise, Mr Joe Jacob.
This is the first meeting during the strike between Mr Kinnock and Irish hauliers. Apart from calling on the commissioner to put further pressure on the French authorities, the delegation will ask him to make sure the French government awards Irish hauliers the £6 million compensation promised after the 1996 truck drivers' strike.
The president of the IRHA, Mr John Guilfoyle, said that if compensation were awarded, it would "go a long way in offsetting the current losses of this strike".
Yesterday saw the problems of Irish truck-drivers continue, although about 100 drivers did succeed in entering France through some of the main ports after police broke up some barricades.
The MV Purbeck has sailed from Cork to Santander in Spain, carrying 54 trucks. When it returns to Ringaskiddy in Co Cork tomorrow the IRHA say there will be a "huge" demand for places on the next sailing.
The Irish Fishermen's Organisation has called on the Government to charter some short-term fishing capacity to alleviate the crisis, which is said to be costing the Irish economy up to £10 million a day, mainly in the loss of orders to France and Spain.