Spanish Truckers going to strike

On the radio today it reported that the spanish truckers will be doing blockades and go slows in spain because of the high diesel prices so it could be hell for a while

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Just been to fill the cars up with petrol and some garages in Fuengirola have run out of diesel & 95  already ! 
Next will be the food for the supermarkets - panic buying probably just around the corner !!!!

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Carrefour Torremolinos had NO meat today. Food riots soon?

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So have the Spanish Truckers gone on strike yet, or is it still just talk?

I take it the reason that there is no fuel or no meat is because of the panic buying, as opposed to any 'real' action from the truckers themselves!

In any case, I don't think the Spanish have as much to complain about fuel prices as we Brits do, just look at the price of Diesel here in the UK £1.30 per litre!!!!

How much is Diesel in Spain today? When we were in Duquesa five week ago, Diesel was €1.18 per litre, which is about 92p.

At the end of the day, when a barrel of oil goes up in price, THE ENTIRE WORLD is affected, so when you complain about prices, you should always keep in mind how much is costs in other European countries.

Here in the UK, Petrol and Diesel is the MOST expensive throughout Europe.

And there is talk today, Tuesday 10th June, that Tanker drivers are going on a 4 day strike, which could close 1 in 10 petrol stations!!!! Seeing as where we live in Devon, right in the sticks, think I will stop typing now and go and fill up my car!

Addendum: Turns out it's just talk about SHELL drivers walking out over a 6.5% pay rise offer - 6.5%!!!! I'd be MORE than happy with that if I had that sort of pay rise, and I earn LESS than they do!!!!

This message was last edited by TechNoApe on 6/10/2008.

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Actuall, Technoape, no.  Britain has the 9th highest petrol price in Europe, not the highest.  Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway (which is 1.30 a litre for unleaded), and Sweden are all higher than Britain.  Portugal and Germany are almost the same as us.  Diesel is the second highest in Europe as Norway are paying 1.32 a litre.
The fact that the Spanish average wage is so much lower than that of UK will have a very negative effect.
You can compare the costs throughout Europe on the AA website.

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Exactly, although the relative cost of petrol in Spain is 92p in the UK you have to take into account the higher cost of living in the UK and higher wages.

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Hi Bob,

You are right, I've just checked those prices.

However, historically over the past decade, we've always been the most expensive for fuel, look at January this year for example. Norway just piping us to the no. 1 slot by a matter of pence.

Also, when we compare prices, we are using the current exchange rate. If and when the exchange rate goes back up, then we become the most expensive again, by far!

Fuel prices are hurting everyone, and until the Goverments get together and try and sort out this mess, then prices are going to go up and hurt even more.


This message was last edited by TechNoApe on 6/10/2008.

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"Fuel prices are hurting everyone, and until the Goverments get together and try and sort out this mess, then prices are going to go up and hurt even more."

I agree with this, I don´t think the Spanish strike can do much good when applied to European transport. The SPanish truckers basically want a basic tariff, but can they really expect this tariff to then be forced upon companies in other countries using Spanish truckers? Therefore, I do think a Europe-wide policy is required.

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I totally agree that fuel is well overpriced.  It doesn't seem so long ago we were all saying it couldn't go over 99.9p a litre because of changing all the signs.  That didn't last long!
Tescos had unleaded advertised at 114.9 the other day.  I needed it so I pulled in and the pump was 112.9.  Just as I'd finished filling up it changed to 114.9 so I must have been the last one to get it at 112.9.  How can they put up the prices so much when it's the same fuel in the tanks?
Someone is making a bomb out of this.  There is no fuel shortage and it's been shown there is enough fuel in the so-far discovered fields to last for the next 70 years.  There must be plenty left to keep us going so why the high costs?  I know tax takes a big chunk and the government in UK makes even more (every time it goes up a penny, over 2/3 of that goes directly to the government) so isn't it time they stopped the fuel accelerator?  They are making 40 million quid a week more than they thought they would at the beginning of the year so why not freeze the accelerator and still get the extra 40 million anyway?  Fuel may not go up a penny a day as it appears to be happening at the moment.
Just how did we get into this situation?  Houses falling 2 and 1/2 percent every month, banks only lending 75% as they know a house bought now will only be worth 75% of the cost in a couple of months and if they lent over 75% everyone would be in negative equity (Like throwing 25% of the cost down the drain when you buy a house nowadays).  Pensions raided, food up at 3 times the official inflation rate but farmers still getting the same for their products (an egg producer in the paper reports eggs are up 60% in the last year but he only gets 23p a dozen as opposed to 21p a year ago).   I keep telling SWMBO to hurry up in the supermarket in cases the prices go up in the time we put the items in the basket to when it gets scanned at the pay point!
On the plus side, weather in our part of the UK is wonderful.  28 degrees and sunny for the last couple of days.
Ho hum!  Pity I'm stuck in my non-airconditioned office for most of the day.  Bound to rain when the weekend comes.  I keep looking at pictures of the swimming pool area in my new Spanish house and thinking "if only".   At 1.25 to the pound, I wonder if I'll be able to afford it.  My pension was looking good at 1.50 to the pound but looking decidedly ropey nowadays. 

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There didn't seem to be much panic buying at Mercadona today (apart from the guy in front of me at the checkout whose trolley was full to the brim with burger buns - I wonder what business he's in? Just hope he's got plenty of burgers in the freezer); there would have been little point, since there was hardly any meat to panic over. I've heard various reports of empty shelves and fuel pumps. I think the trucker's action is having a noticeable effect.

From what I understand, it's not just about fuel prices. As in the UK, they're upset about something to do with "illegal dumping" by foreign operators. Not too sure what it's all about, but apparently the border with France is blockaded. So much for "one market" etc. etc. There seem to be so many contradictions in this new United States of Europe. How can it be illegal for trucks from other member states to operate here (or in the UK) when there are effectively no borders any more?

I notice Diego is blogging about this situation (I think there is also an English translation) and he's probably far better informed than me, so check out the link to it over to the right of your screen if you're interested.

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Is there really no petrol in Spain?     I know Gibraltar has only one day's supply left but is Spain in the same situation?    We are arriving in Duquesa on Thursday and can manage until Sunday when we absolutely have to have transport as my friend is arriving who cannot walk very much  - this is a nightmare if we cannoy get fuel . Surely the Spanish government will not allow the truckers to cripple the country.     Do you think our hired car will manage to get fuel ??

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Some supermarkets are low on supplies, some filling stations are out of fuel - but not all. Just make sure you fill up when you have the chance.

The government has apparently announced some measures to try to resolve the situation by midweek, including making it possible for truckers to retire early. Not quite sure how that helps us, but we'll see.

All of a sudden the housing crash seems a bit unimportant, doesn't it? Who cares what their home is "worth", when there's a real threat that they can't put food on the table? (or, even worse, can't drive their cars?)

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Just come back from Gibraltar and most of the petrol stations were closed. Morrisons still had petrol but no diesel. We passed a convoy of about 15 CEPSA fuel lorries going towards Malaga under police escort, so somewhere is getting supplies. By the by, the CEPSA stations on the AP7 seemed to have fuel, although I don't know for how long.

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Mercadona and Supersol in Nueva Andalucia and Marbella have had deliveries of fresh fruit and veg and meat this morning so hopefully things are returning to normal.

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I spoke with someone in Marbella just now, and they seem to think it's over.

Having said that, it could just be that some deliveries have got through having been delayed.

I hope it's over, such action doesn't help.

As for the Tanker drivers here in the UK, that's all I can say is "greedy gits", they said NO to a 6.5% pay rise!!! They ALL earn more than our brave lads 'n lasses who are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, so it makes my blood boil that they are taking such action!

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I agree with you TechNoApe.  There are many sectors of industry  that would jump at 6.5% pay increase. They are holding the country to ransom.

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How many of the tanker drivers actually pay for the fuel for their trucks out of their own, let's face it, fairly adequate salaries, anyway? 
Why should they get a big pay rise, just becuase their employer's fule bill has gone up? Or am I missing something?

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