French lorry driver unions demand opening of all roadside restaurants

You can read this article in 2 minutes

Last week the French Government agreed to reopen 250 roadside restaurants to lorry drivers between 6pm and 10am. However, the unions representing the drivers are not satisfied, and want all restaurants to reopen without restrictions on opening times.

On Wednesday, 4 French trade unions (CFDT Route, CGT Transports, FO Transports and CFTC Transports) and 3 employers (TLF, FNTR and OTRE) made a rare joint statement expressing their disappointment at the „ineffectiveness” of the French Government’s plan to reopen 250 restaurants selected on the basis of location and traffic volumes.

The statement calls on the government to reopen all roadside restaurants and roadside facilities not only in the evenings, but also during the day.

According to Les Routiers, the statement has been motivated by the fact that drivers have been encountering difficulties getting access to a decent meal, as well as suitable showering and sanitary facilities, particularly on the ‚‚non-licensed’ part of France’s national road network.

Therefore, the organisations have said that the „fight continues”. The parties who signed the statement say they will increase the pressure on the authorities in order to defend „relentlessly, by all means, the demand for dignified working conditions for our drivers”, something they stress is „non-negotiable”.

In the meantime, 250 roadside restaurants do remain open between 6pm and 10am. You can find a map of these locations here.


Photo credit: Google Street View