The Spanish government has promised to help reduce the affects of high diesel prices after fishing crews and truck drivers went on strike on Monday in a protest over fuel costs.
After a meeting with the main trucking organization and the regions, Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez announced aid of €500 million to help combat high diesel prices.
Details of the help will be decided by Tuesday next week but a reduction in VAT was rejected by the government.
Protesting truck drivers forced the Volkswagen plant in Pamplona in northern Spain to suspended production.
"There is a shortage of supplier parts. The action is for one day but means that 1,438 vehicles cannot be produced," a VW spokesperson said on Monday. The Polo, T-Cross and Taigo vehicle models are produced at the plant in the province of Navarra.
According to media reports, other industries in Spain have also been forced to reduce their activities due to a lack of supplies, with the supply of fresh food partially affected.
Blocked roads
Roads and distribution centres have been blocked in the protests, which started a week ago. They are being led by a grouping of goods transporters who represent only a small part of the Spanish transport sector.
The umbrella organization of Spanish trucking companies, CNCT, has spoken out against the protests.
However, the association warned that this position would change if the government did not take "immediate measures" to alleviate the effects of high fuel prices on businesses.
Fishing strike
The fishing strike meanwhile is expected to last until Wednesday, according to the Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (FNCP), which represents some 40,000 members, 9,000 of which are ship owners.
Spain is the second-largest fishing nation in Europe after Norway.
On Wednesday, representatives of fisher crews and shipowners will meet with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, to discuss other ways to mitigate the effects of high fuel costs.
On Monday, many fishing fleets from Andalusia and the Mediterranean coast took part in the strike, while on the Canary Islands in the Atlantic and in northern Spain the participation was weaker, state broadcaster RTVE reported.
