We have been informed that there is to be a Spanish transport strike starting 8th June this could also involve Portugal.
We have doubled up all our shipments to Spain for a major customer (Golden Arches) and they have contingency plans in place.
We have heard rumours of the French starting monday but our customers cannot confirm if it is to go ahead.
Interesting few weeks ahead.
I was in Germany this week and paid €1.53.9 ltr so they are not far away from the UK price.
Just got back from the port & the English drivers there,who had just come up from Spain were saying it is a general strike there.Not just drivers.
8th of june is a Sunday, bugger all happens here anyway.
BBC News are reporting strikes in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium and France. watch out for irate fishermen 
THere are certainly rumblings about a general strike here in Spain - but one thing is for certain the transport strike will start at midnight Sunday 8th June unless the government act on our demands to reduce or even abolish IVA (VAT) on diesel for Spanish hauliers. We also require other measures to reduce the amount of taxes paid to compensate for the massive oil price increases.
At present all the planners are looking to get every driver home by Saturday next week. One thing is for sure NOTHING will be moving on our roads until we get what we want, the strike is indefinite. It is being supported by everyone small and large hauliers alike.
Hombre:
THere are certainly rumblings about a general strike here in Spain - but one thing is for certain the transport strike will start at midnight Sunday 8th June unless the government act on our demands to reduce or even abolish IVA (VAT) on diesel for Spanish hauliers. We also require other measures to reduce the amount of taxes paid to compensate for the massive oil price increases.At present all the planners are looking to get every driver home by Saturday next week. One thing is for sure NOTHING will be moving on our roads until we get what we want, the strike is indefinite. It is being supported by everyone small and large hauliers alike.
I may be being stupid, but I thought the IVA was re-claimable for a VAT registered company?
We pay a lot less tax here than other European countries on fuel but the oil companies use that as an excuse to take the ■■■■ and as a result the price before tax is one of the highest in Europe.
Good luck with the strike and I hope it works for you (I´m going to prepare by getting in a bit of extra shopping just in case).
Yes you are right, IVA is reclaimable - the problem is of course that you have to pay it out first then wait for God knows how long to get it back. This of course creates a massive cash flow problem for many small /medium operators. The other problem being that every time gasole goes up a cent or two the amount paid out in IVA increases disproportionately.
The other issue is of course the “standard” tax on fuel - Madrid have like all other European governments been enjoying bumper revenues of fuel tax due to ever increasing prices. Whilst everyone appreciates taxes are a neccesary evil the current amount of tax being collected is absurd - not for much longer methinks!
Just to add i,ve also been told to stop at home Mon 8 aswell until further notice.Hope the weather gets better i feel a barbie ■■■■■ on…
Been told not to enter Spain after Thursday night, or face the consequences! So won’t be going there then.
this is only the start, heard on RTE the other day that Irish hauliers are preparing to do something similar if fuel continues to increase.
Something HAS to give
Not seen much sign of anything so far in Belgium, Holland or Germany… I suppose it may just be a matter of time…
DaveL:
Just got back from the port & the English drivers there,who had just come up from Spain were saying it is a general strike there.Not just drivers.
load of rot if it happens it is not a general strike just the transport world
would it be daft to suggest that we had a uniform price for fuel across the EEC
that would create a level playing field so that we could compete with our european
colleges may be just for the transport industry at first
i recived this from a customer this morning.
Good Morning All,
It appears that the strike action in Spain is no nearer an end. Pickets have been set up at all border crossing with France and ports out of Spain.
Drivers are being stopped on the roads and now also being led to industrial estates to park up.
Main cities are now being tageted with strike action, Madrid especially, but also Zaragoza, Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona, Irun, Logrono.
Only vehicles being let through are cars, busses and coaches. All commercial transport vehicles are being targeted by the pickets and blockades, so nothing is getting through.
We have had trailers that are parked up in our Depot in Figueruelas and have had tyres blown out, curtains slashed and windscreens smashed, this tends to be happening to foreign trucks that are looking to get throught the pickets.
Also please be aware that France will be striking and blockading next week, starting Monday.
Again much like the Spanish they have indicated this is an indefinite strike until agreements can be made with representative government.
I will keep you all updated as and when I get more news from our Spanish office.
Does anyone know the latest on this ■■?
steve the argonaut:
Does anyone know the latest on this ■■?
Ask vasciongles 
As of 15:45hrs local time (Spain) the strike is still on. Riot police have re-opened the border at La Jonquera and I beleive the French have opened Biriatou (Irun). I am told that some trucks are running again but have yet to see any around here in Malaga. As you can imagine the feelings amongst the O/Ds after the police intervention are running high, so its anybodys guess what will happen next.
well done the police for opening the borders
if they want to strike then have a strike,
i’d never cross an actual picket line but i’ve always said theres no need to hold foreign nationals hostage.
if all the strikers just had their strike the country would grind to a halt anyway.
theres no need to stop international traffic.
According to TVE1 News (online) the governments offer has been accepted by unions reperesenting 88% of drivers - only the remaining 12% represented by Fenadismer are (at present) refusing to accept the offer.
Some food and fuel deliveries are getting through, my wife just saw a truck under police ■■■■■■ delivering to Mercadona (a Spanish supermarket chain).
The problem of course is going to be that until the Fenadismer drivers accept whats been offered, then there will be a risk that trucks (both Spanish and foreign) are going to get damaged by disaffected drivers operating individually or in small groups.
It is the 12% who wanted the strike in the first place i.e. the owner drivers.
Up till now absolutely nothing has been acheived by the strike.
Once again agreements were signed about waiting hours and payment thereof and that drivers would not unload themselves unless previously stipulated in the contract.
Both these were agreed on after the last two strikes and there is about as much chance of them adhered to this time round as after the last two strikes… none whatsover.
Basically a badly thought out strategy, badly implemented without sufficient thought.