Sicily Supermarkets Stripped Bare as Truckers Strike

Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare in western Sicily as a strike by Sicilian truck drivers over soaring fuel costs choked deliveries across the island.

X user Carmelo filmed rows of empty refrigerated cases at a Lidl store in Trapani on the morning of October 19, writing that many shelves were empty and no new stock had arrived. The footage shows vacant vegetable and salad displays and near-empty meat counters stretching down the aisles.

The truckers’ stoppage began on October 16 and had been called until midnight on October 20. Hauliers had been protesting against rising diesel prices and the cost of ferry links to the mainland. Salvatore Bella, head of the Sicilian Truckers’ Committee, called for fuel costs to be cut by 30 to 40 cents per liter, including through tax credits.

Shortages were reported mainly in the provinces of Trapani and Messina, with fresh produce worst hit, while some service stations ran out of fuel. On the afternoon of October 20, after a meeting in Milan with Infrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini and his deputy Edoardo Rixi, the Sicilian Truckers’ Committee called off the stoppage, saying almost all of its demands had been accepted. Bella said a permanent working group would hold its first meeting on October 27, and the committee said its members would remain in a state of agitation until the remaining issues were resolved.