MADRID (AFP) - 11/06/08 21:44 PM
Portuguese and Spanish truckers strike causes shortages
The strike of Spanish and Portuguese truckers against expensive diesel fuel, interspersed with violent incidents, caused Wednesday in its third day shortages in the Iberian Peninsula, paralyzing the automobile industry in Spain where the government has hardened the tone towards the strikers.
The jet fueling of aircraft was suspended at Lisbon airport, with the exception of priority flights, while fuel was delivered under police escort near Lisbon and in north-eastern Spain.
After two days of blockade, traffic returned to normal at the Franco-Spanish border at the Perthus pass, the French truck drivers having raised their pickets while their Spanish colleagues were dislodged by the police, clearing the way for 4.000 heavyweight.
But the border between the two countries remained blocked at the level of Irun and Biriatou, on the Atlantic coast.
Several Portuguese hypermarket chains have expressed concern over the shortage of fresh produce, especially milk.
In Spain, where tens of kilometers of traffic jams caused by snail operations were still reported around the big cities, the main wholesale markets were almost no longer supplied with fresh products.
Milk, eggs, fresh meat or fish, were scarce on the shelves of certain supermarkets.
These ad hoc shortages were compounded by the fact that many consumers rushed to the shelves to stock up on supplies.
The truckers' strike mainly penalized the automotive sector, which depends on daily deliveries of spare parts. Seat, Nissan, Renault, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Mercedes Benz factories were totally or partially paralyzed in Spain on Wednesday.
The shortage is also starting to weigh on car production in Belgium, where two factories, Volvo and Audi, will be shut down on Thursday because they lack spare parts made in Spain.
In the rest of Europe, 50.000 Polish truckers protested briefly on the country's roads, without blocking traffic. The Dutch truckers announced for Thursday specific snail operations.
The Spanish government warned on Wednesday that it would act "with the utmost firmness" against truck pickets that hamper the free movement of people and the activity of their non-striking colleagues.
Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba has promised to guarantee the delivery, under police escort if necessary, of basic necessities (fuel, food, medicine), and spare parts for the automotive sector. He announced that 53 truckers have been arrested since Tuesday for illegal actions.
Truckers' strike is punctuated by violent incidents in Portugal and Spain, where two truckers were respectively killed on Tuesday, knocked down by vehicles at pickets.
In Spain, a truck driver was badly burned at night near Alicante (southeast) while sleeping in his burnt out truck. In Portugal, two trucks were burned and others attacked with stones at night.
The two minority Spanish truckers' organizations on strike (Fenadismer and Confedetrans) resumed negotiations on Wednesday with the government, which refuses to comply with their main demand: setting a minimum tariff.
The European Commission ruled on Wednesday that European countries "can and must take targeted measures to support the most disadvantaged" in the face of soaring oil prices, while ensuring not to "delay adaptation" to a less dependent economy hydrocarbons.
So without oil everything is paralyzed! to say the least, even the European Commission is starting to panic, so when the crude is 250, what will happen.
We are all addicted to petroleum, the problem is that many are not aware of it.
"Ya que" is easy to say, but how to make this armada of trucks that transport products from place to place in Europe roll? the only solution is to stop this unnecessary transport bullshit and consolidate instead of relocating.
The good thing is that expensive oil will force leaders to think differently, but in how many years?