SHIPYARD WORKERS PROTEST AT CHANGES

The scenes on the TV screen were like something out of Iraq but they turned out to be shots of angry shipyard workers burning cars, blocking roads and waging a running battle with police in the streets of Sestao in northern Spain, in which nearly 20 people were injured. The workers' protests were more peaceful in the Cadiz area, where some 25,000 workers, their wives and supporters marched through the streets of San Fernando. They were protesting a plan by SEPI, the state holding company for infrastructure projects, to save the country's shipyards, which have been losing money since the end of the 1970s. The main bones of contention are SEPI's plan to reduce the number of workers and open the shipyards to private investment. The workers have been protesting on and off for several months but Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero stirred up a hornets' nest at the beginning of last week when he said the government would do everything possible to save jobs in the shipyards. However, within 24 hours it became quite obvious that SEPI had no intention of backing down and many of the banners carried by the protesting workers said "Zapatero - Traitor". By week's end, Sr Zapatero said he thought SEPI's plan to save the shipyards was "adequate".