90,000 Spanish truckers strike over soaring fuel prices

An estimated 90,000 Spanish truck drivers launched a strike on Monday to protest fuel prices that have jumped by 20 per cent since the beginning of the year.

The truckers, who stopped working at midnight, blocked roads and shipping centres inareas like Barcelona, Valencia and the Basque region, BBC News is reporting. They alsoblocked some border crossings into neighbouringFrance,and smashed the windshields of some trucks that attempted to cross the picket lines.

The strikers are getting support from truckers in neighbouring Portugal and France, who have also launched their own protests as diesel prices soar across Europe. In Spain, theyhave risen above $2.10 a litre. In Canada, by contrast, the average price of diesel is $1.43 a litre, according to the latest numbers by MJ Ervin & Associates Inc.

Truckers in Spain have warned that their strike could lead to food shortages across the country, as supermarkets fail to receive shipments of goods. Nervous Spaniards have formed lines outside of some grocery stores to stock up on supplies, Reuters is reporting.

The truckers participating in the strike are largely self-employed or work for small and medium-sized shipping companies, BBC News says.Truck driverswant the Spanish government to establish, by law, a minimum price for their services and ensure that contracts reflect the fluctuating price of fuel.

Spain has offered emergency loans and cash payments to truckers wishing to retire, but truck drivers say this is not enough.

"Truckers can't work. We are losing money and someone has to find a solution," Jaime Diaz, president of Spain's National Road Transport Confederation, told Spain's Ser radio station.

Truckers say the rising fuel prices are especially difficult because of the economic downturn in Spain, the worst the country has seen in 15 years, Reuters says. Spanish truckers say demand for their services is plummeting.

The government has been in talks with truck drivers since January, and Transport Director Juan Miguel Sanchez told Ser that he hopes to reach an agreement later this week.