Fishing crews in Spain stopped work on Monday to protest against the sharp rise in diesel prices, joining truck drivers who are also protesting in a strike action.
The strike is expected to last until Wednesday, according to the Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (FNCP), which represents about 200 cooperatives with 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 fishermen and shipowners will meet with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, to discuss ways to mitigate the effects of high fuel costs.
On Monday, many fishermen 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.
Elsewhere in the country, truck drivers protesting against high diesel prices 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.
Other industries affected
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.
The protests, which started a week ago, are led by a grouping of goods transporters who represent only a small part of the Spanish transport sector. Roads and distribution centres have been blocked.
The umbrella organization of Spanish trucking companies, CNCT, to which the protest platform does not belong, has spoken out against the protests.
However, the association warned ahead of a meeting with government representatives on Monday that this position would change if the state did not take "immediate measures" to alleviate the effects of high fuel prices on businesses.
