Spanish Truckers Strike Against High Fuel Costs
Thousands strike against rising fuel prices in Spain and Portugal.
MADRID, June 9, 2008 — -- Spanish truck drivers blocked the border with France to all goods traffic on Monday as fuel price protests in Spain, France and Portugal raised fears of food and petrol shortages.
Spanish and Portuguese drivers began indefinite strikes, and lines of trucks up to 8 km (5 miles) long formed on the French side of the border after Spanish picketers smashed the windscreens of foreign goods drivers who tried to enter Spain.
French and Spanish truckers also staged 'go-slow' protests, causing tailbacks of 30 km in Bordeaux, France, and 20 km or more around Madrid and Barcelona.
The drivers were all demanding action to offset the effect of high oil prices, now at record highs of over $139 per barrel.
Spaniards fearing fuel shortages queued to fill their tanks and 40 percent of gas stations ran out of supplies in Spain's hardest hit region, Catalonia, according to one industry group.
Long lines formed at Spanish and Portuguese supermarket after truckers said they could run out of fresh food in days.
"No one is earning enough money to eat any more: not the truckers, not the fishermen, nobody, and someone has to find a solution," said Jaime Diaz, president of Spain's National Road Transport Confederation.
PRICE DEMANDS
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero postponed a major speech on the economy to grapple with the first big strike to hit Spain during its worst economic slowdown in 15 years.
But his Socialist government said there would be no electricity or petrol shortages as truckers picketed distribution centres and called for a minimum haulage tariff to counter a 35 percent rise in fuel costs over the past 12 months.
In Portugal, one group of truckers threatened to block the main roads running south to the Algarve tourist region to prevent goods reaching the area.
Demonstrations and strikes across Asia have already forced fast-growing countries such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia to raise fuel subsidies to ease the pain of high prices.
Police used water cannon and batons in Kashmir on Monday to disperse hundreds of government workers protesting over fuel price rises, while a general strike shut down the northeastern state of Assam.
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