MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) \u2014 Truck drivers angry at soaring diesel prices blockaded fuel depots in the southern state of Victoria on Monday.<\/p>\n
Trucks blocked wharves and all but one of the state’s major fuel terminals in the state capital, Melbourne.<\/p>\n
“We are not only doing this for ourselves, it is a campaign for everyone who uses petrol,” protest organizer Jerry Brown-Sarre said.<\/p>\n
“Whether you use it for work, for recreation, for whatever, you are paying too much and this is a chance to let the companies know you are not happy.”<\/p>\n
Diesel prices have risen from $1.44 per gallon a year ago to more than $2.12 per gallon.<\/p>\n
Brown-Sarre said the blockades would stay in place until the drivers’ demands for cheaper prices or higher payments for carrying loads were met.<\/p>\n
Multinational petroleum giant Caltex called police late Sunday to clear the entrance to one of its depots and Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell said it also planned action to ensure fuel could still be distributed.<\/p>\n
“We are taking advice and will be taking what action we can to maintain operations,” Shell spokesman Vincent Cosgrove said.<\/p>\n
Victorian motorists’ group, the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, said the state government should step in to preserve fuel supplies.<\/p>\n
“Petrol must flow through, the government should invoke emergency legislation if it can’t solve this politically by Wednesday,” RACV spokesman David Cumming said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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