(AFP) – Dec 11, 2007

ROME (AFP) — Italian truckers agreed late Wednesday to end a national strike which had paralysed the nation and brought petrol supplies almost to a halt, allowing Prime Minister Romano Prodi to declare a "return to normality."

As unions one-by-one agreed to return to work after winning promises in talks with the government during the afternoon that their concerns over work contracts and high oil prices would be addressed.

The announcements were hailed by the government, which has been desperately seeking a resolution to three days of strikes that have dried up petrol supplies and saw 2,000 trucks block the French border.

"I am satisfied since we have brought the country to normality without ceding to provocations," Prodi said at a press conference.

Italy should return to normal during the day Thursday, Transport Minister Alessandro Bianchi said, adding that large trucks would be granted special dispensation to circulate Sunday to catch up on their backlog.

The industrial action threatened to bring Italy to a standstill with thousands of drivers disrupting traffic for a third day Wednesday despite a government order for unions to end the five-day strike.

Petrol ran out in central Rome and in the Naples area -- where garbage was no longer being collected. Petrol stations have not been supplied since Friday.

The unions had demanded greater financial help to compensate for the higher price of diesel and during an afternoon meeting, the government handed them a 12-point text dealing with work contracts and measures to mitigate the price hike.

The first effects of the suspension were reported near two border areas with France and in the northern Padua region where truck blockades began to lift, ANSA news agency reported.

Fuel deliveries are also expected to resume to near-dry gas stations, with full normalisation in the next 48 hours, Pasquale De Vita, chairman of Italy's petroleum industry confederation told ANSA.

Launched on Monday, the strike caused havoc across the country.

In the Italian capital, Romans compared notes on where to find petrol supplies. Taxi driver Sandro Corso said: "I'm working today but tomorrow I'm stopping because in all honesty it's becoming a real headache to find petrol."

Others were spotted manually siphoning fuel out of scooters on the street by sucking on tubes -- taking care not to swallow.

In Ventimiglia, on the Franco-Italian border, the scene was more tense. Blockading truck drivers were only allowing cars and tourist buses to pass through the main road linking Nice and Genoa.

A sea of parked lorries blocked the road. The threat of the government to use the army to intervene left striking drivers cold.

"Do you really think they'll want to risk clearing all this?" laughed one, pointing to around 2,000 trucks, parked in convoy.

The Fiat motor firm said it had shut down its five Italian plants because the strike had disrupted deliveries of parts, a decision that affected 22,000 workers.

Transport minister Bianchi ordered the strikers to end the stoppage Tuesday to protect the delivery of essential supplies or risk a daily fine of 500 euros (735 dollars) and a suspension of their licence.

Prodi justified Bianchi's ultimatum, calling the blockades "an intolerable violation of the liberty of citizens."

Opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi said the truckers were right "on principle," although he did not agree with their methods.

Union leaders previously said the strike would continue until Friday.

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