22 July 2010

Pain in Spain for air travellers

Travellers to Spain are being warned to expect a summer of disruption after air traffic controllers staged a "covert strike" in protest at new working conditions

Many controllers scheduled to report for work on Monday at Barcelona's El Prat airport called in sick, a move that caused widespread delays to airports on the east coast of Spain and the Balearics, said the UK Daily Telegraph

This followed several days of similar action leading to serious delays and numerous cancellations on one of the busiest weekends of the summer season.

The Syndicated Union of Air Traffic Controllers has denied that an "undercover strike" had been ordered but warned of a "complicated" summer if Spain's airport authority, the AENA, insisted on implementing "abusive timetables and rosters to save money".

In February the Spanish government put an end to what it described as the "incomprehensible privileges" of air traffic controllers, including their high rates of pay and benefits.

The move followed outrage across Spain after the public disclosure that some controllers were earning up to a million euros after adding overtime pay to their basic salary.

The action by the Spanish controllers was followed on Wednesday by a strike by French air traffic controllers o and the decision by the British Airways cabin crew union, Unite, to reject the airline’s latest pay offer, raising the prospect of further strikes.