Metalworkers, police clash in Spain amid inflation protest
ABC News
Metalworkers and police have clashed in southern Spain at the end of a protest march to demand that wages rise in line with the country’s surging inflation rate
MADRID -- Metalworkers and police clashed Tuesday in Spain’s southern city of Cádiz at the end of a protest march to demand higher wages in line with the country's surging inflation rate.
Police used rubber bullets to disperse protesters who tried to erect barricades across streets in the coastal city.
The demonstration marked the eighth straight day of protests and coincided with a strike affecting the whole province of Cádiz in support of the metalworkers' fight.
The inflation rate in Spain has risen to its highest in years, driven up by energy costs. In October, it stood at 5.5%. That has infuriated many people whose wages have stagnated. Hundreds of jobs have also been lost in the province of Cádiz, which has an unemployment rate of 23%, one of Spain's highest.
