ROME (AP) — Italy's truck drivers defied a government order and continued to strike Wednesday, blocking highways and borders in a protest that idled factories, left gasoline pumps dry and caused shortages of foodstuffs across the country.
The Transport Ministry issued an order late Tuesday directed the drivers to return to work. But she truckers, in the third of a five-day walkout protesting high gasoline prices, long working hours and foreign competition showed no sign of heeding it.
Drivers could be fined and have their trucker's licenses revoked. Those who block ports and highway tollbooths risk jail sentences of up to four years, the ministry said.
However, thousands of trucks still blocked highways Wednesday. Nearby, truckers huddled around fires and improvised barbecue grills.
The protest left many supermarket shelves empty, as perishable goods ran out and new stocks went undelivered.
''This is not good. They have no fruits, vegetables and milk,'' said Giovanna Passo, a 40-year-old shopper at a downtown store in Rome. ''It's a disaster for my children.''
The strike is scheduled to last through Friday.
Many gas stations across the country had already run out of fuel. In Rome, the few pumps still working attracted long lines that spilled into streets, causing further gridlock.
Gas was rationed at the Vatican, where officials ordered pumps in the tiny city-state to sell no more than euro20 (US$29) worth to each Vatican employee. Some gas trucks were reaching Rome under police escort, in an effort to ensure supplies for emergency services and public transportation, the Italian news agency Apcom reported.
But that did not help ordinary travelers.
''We can't guarantee service,'' said Alfredo Proietto, a taxi driver in Rome. ''I filled up yesterday, but if the strike continues I will have to stop and so will everybody else.''
The strike forced automaker Fiat to idle thousands of workers because of a lack of supplies at factories. The farm lobby Coldiretti said it was considering legal action to recoup damages for the tons of perishable goods left rotting in warehouses.
Not all truckers' unions were taking part in the strike, but the highway blockages were affecting all drivers — including foreign ones. Italian news reports said some drivers who tried to get through the blockades were assaulted and had their vehicles stoned and tires slashed.
The government ordered the drivers to return to work by midnight Tuesday after unions walked out of a meeting with Transport Minister Alessandro Bianchi, breaking off negotiations meant to end the strike.
New talks with unions had been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, the Transport Ministry said.
Premier Romano Prodi told state TV that the highway blockades were ''an inadmissible violation of citizens' freedom,'' and were ''damaging the country in the run-up to the Christmas holidays,'' a crucial time for businesses relying on the seasonal peak in shopping and tourism.
