Air traffic controllers strike in Spain
Well, what a day for Spain – one in which the first national State of Emergency in Spain has been declared, by Royal Decree, since the country formally became a democracy in 1978!
In fact, there are three states of emergency in Spain: Alert, Emergency and War with today’s declaration, in fact, a State of Alert in Spain and therefore the lowest level of Emergency. However, its importance should not be minimised. Nothing like it has occurred in over 30 years…
What has happened?
Well, Spain’s airspace has been frozen by ‘wild cat’ action by Spanish air traffic controllers, who simply failed to turn up for work. This has the resulted in the effective closure of every airport in the country and made, obviously, any flights impossible.
No-one really knows, at this stage, how many people have been affected but it appears, at best guess, that some 330,000 people have missed their flights. Meanwhile, some 2 million people may be affected, on way or another – before the effects of the air traffic controllers’ strike in Spain has ceased and everything has returned to normal.
Certainly, the latest news suggests that it will take at least 24 hours for normal service to return and it is unlikely that any budget airlines will be flying again until tomorrow at the earliest.
You may be someone due to fly in to or out of Spain today and be furious about the disruption caused. However, spare a thought for the Spanish themselves who will be, by far, the majority of people affected by the Spanish air traffic controllers strike in Spain. This is because this is the last long weekend in Spain before Xmas.
Monday is a public holiday (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception) and Wednesday a national holiday, ironically, to celebrate the 1978 Spanish Constitution. So, as you can imagine, many people are taking what they call a ‘bridge’ (puente) and holidaying until next Thursday. Clearly, many will be travelling to friends and relatives around Spain as well as flying abroad.
So, if you where wondering why the air traffic controllers in Spain chose this weekend in which to strike – it was because any strike action would cause the maximum possible disruption to the Spanish themselves.
You may well feel that this is also why a State of Emergency in Spain has been declared because of the sense of utter fury from the Spanish people at the incredibly selfish action of the Spanish air traffic controllers.
The Spanish economy, as I wrote yesterday, is probably in meltdown. There is at least 20% unemployment in Spain and terrific hardship. Jobs are almost impossible to find and the necessary austerity measures being imposed by the Spanish government will make the coming year even harder than this one – but do the Spanish air traffic controllers care?
Clearly not – but are they hard done by?
Well, air traffic controllers in Spain are very highly paid, earning around 250,000 – 300,000 Euros a year with a head controller of somewhere like Barajas airport in Madrid earning probably in excess of 700,000 Euros pa. In any country, this is fantastic money however, in Spain, where many people (if they have a job) take home only 12,000 Euros a year – it is a king’s ransom.
Because the air traffic controllers strike in Spain is ‘unoffical’ and a wildcat action no-one knows precisely why they have gone on ‘strike’. However, it is almost certainly because they face overtime changes (and thereby a reduction in their income) with the forthcoming part privitisation of AENA (the Spanish company that owns and runs most Spanish airports).
Of course, the air traffic controllers in Spain may have reason to be disgruntled. However, to take strike action is suicidally stupid when you are still likely to remain highly paid (even after a pay reduction) – when the rest of the country is fighting for its very economic survival.
Certainly, it looks as though the air traffic controllers strike in Spain has backfired on the air traffic controllers. The military have now taken over the airports and the Spanish air traffic controllers are now under martial law and face criminal prosecution if they do not return to their jobs immediately.
I am no supporter of Prime Minister Zapatero but his actions against the Spanish air traffic controllers seems well executed. Indeed, rarely can anyone have acted so stupidly and selfishly as these air traffic controllers who, I feel, will deserve every harsh measure that comes their way.
Needless to say, I am reminded of Ronald Reagan sacking all the air traffic controllers in the US, back in the 1980s. They had attempted to ‘blackmail’ the US and found that a democracy will not tolerate this action from a small community of self interested (and selfish) individuals. Hopefully, this lesson will be learnt from this Spanish air traffic control strike and will be a warning against further similar lunacy…
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