Strike closes Spanish factories

Car manufacturing in Spain is grinding to a halt in the wake of the trucker’s strike that has paralysed the country. Mercedes, Seat and Nissan have been forced to close factories due to parts and fuel shortages and all of the country’s 18 car plants will be closed by the end of today if the strike continues. Eleven manufacturers build vehicles in Spain, from Ford’s Valencia plant producing Focuses to Nissan’s van plant in Avila.Spain’s car industry produces 13,000 cars a day and the loss of production would seriously damage the country’s target production for this year, said the Spanish car maker’s association ANFAC.“It will be very difficult to meet our output forecast for 2008, which was to reach 3 million vehicles,” it said in a statement.The lorry drivers are protesting about rising diesel costs that, they say, are wiping out their profits. They have pledged to bring the country to a standstill – and two strikers were killed in picket line clashes yesterday.Truck driver’s strikes are spreading across Europe the Italians are due to protest at the end of this month, while the UK is due to undergo another truck driver’s strike at the beginning of July.

Dan Stevens