Several hundred Spanish fishermen went off the work from Monday May 26 in and around Barcelona to protest high fuel prices, taking a cue from their counterparts in France who have been blockading French ports this week. It is said that nineteen boats that normally fish for shrimp and hake were instead docked in Barcelona’s port. Nearly six boats were on strike in villages to the north, and more than 50 boats were idle in Vilanova, a town about an hour south of Barcelona.
Overall nearly 400 fishermen went on strike as they hope their action, on the heels of the French strike, will inspire similar protests in Italy, Portugal, and Greece. The main purpose of the strike is the rising price of fuel, which has gone up 40 percent in Spain in the past three years and on the contrary the price of fish is going down. As a result of large fishing companies catching cheap fish abroad and selling it in Spanish stores for a lower price.
Spanish government officials have met with the fishermen and discussed their concerns and also offered to support the fishermen in requesting lower prices from oil companies. But the fishermen demand rebates or subsidies from the government to help them pay for the fuel for their boats.
