Wildcat Strike by Spanish Air Controllers
A wildcat strike by Spanish air traffic controllers has ended after threats by the Spanish government to bring criminal charges against those perpetrating the strike.
The unplanned walkout left thousands of stranded at Spanish airports around the country and grounded all aircraft. Officials put the number of people affected at 250,000.
The background to the strike was a disagreement about working hours and conditions which Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said were “unacceptable privileges”.
The threats seemed to have been enough to make the controllers go back to work and it is the first time since the military government in 1975 that emergency powers have been used in this way.
It is fair to say that in Spain, where unemployment is running at 20%, there is not any general sympathy towards the air traffic controllers who are some of the highest earners in the country and indeed, some of the highest paid air traffic controllers in the world.
It has been reported that some controllers were paid as much as 900,000 euros in 2009, the average salary in Spain is 18,000 euros and the prime minister earned 91,982 euros last year.
Photo: Andres Rueda
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