Air traffic controllers are to see their power reduced

14.02.2010 - Just in the Canaries an­other 120 professionals are badly needed according to a representative of workers in the sector during a meeting with the Canarian president, Paulino Rivero.  The union representative for the air traffic controllers (USCA), Miguel Torrens, insisted that the Spanish airports authority, AENA, “couldn’t care less about the delays that occurred in the Canaries over Christmas” and warned that if the situation remained unchanged, the same would occur over Easter because, he maintained, that we don’t have, “the people to move the number of planes” in the Canaries during peak periods like these.

He denied that there had been a work to rule over the Christmas holidays and blamed the delays on AENA for poor planning as they were expecting a drop in air traffic of 17 per cent but the actual reduction was only 2.7 per cent.  Tor­rens added that throughout 2009, the Canarian air traffic control service had been operating with 25 per cent fewer personnel than the previous year.

After recent disclosures of huge wages in the press, Torrens affirmed that the Spanish controllers were paid, “more or less the same as any of their European colleagues,” but empha­sised that because of the lack of personnel they were forced to work extra hours, although he admitted that they were, “well paid”.

The regional govern­ment’s Minister for Trans­port, Juan Ramón Hernán­dez gave assurances that the Canarian government, “will not tolerate” a repeat of the events at Christmas and asked that the Spanish Transport Ministry sorted out the situation as soon as possible as what happened over the holidays, “is intoler­able” given the importance of air travel to the economy of the islands.

In reply to criticism that the air traffic controllers had damaged the Canarian economy, Torrens affirmed, “we are aware of the harm that we could do to the Islands, we are fighting for that too, we’re Canarians as well”, however he under­lined that what the workers cannot do is work over and above their limits, nor could they go against the limits laid down by international regulations.  Representa­tives of USCA gave an as­surance that Easter flights within Spain would not be interrupted by any action of theirs.

The unions only offered an increase in productiv­ity in exchange for more money and as they already earn an average €334,000 each per year, the Spanish government has decided to act, announcing a new law to “control” the controllers.  Under the new law, AENA would regain management of the air traffic control service which is currently managed by the controllers themselves. 

The service will be open to be put out to tender and more AFIS (automatic computer controlled serv­ices) will be installed in the smaller airports which would need a technician but not a fully qualified air traffic controller.

The Development Minis­ter, José Blanco, has been warning for months what would occur if USCA failed to come to any agreement.  For the next three years, strikes and work to rules will be considered a breach of the law, their working week is to be redefined and the number of overtime hours which can be worked will be reduced to 80 per year as set out in the workers’ statute and they will be paid at a normal rate of around €117 per hour instead of the current €240-350.  Air traf­fic controllers may now be transferred from one airport to another and if they refuse, the refusal will be consid­ered a serious work offence and may leave the individual open to dismissal.

The announcement made it clear that AENA’s costs, “are the highest in Europe” and blamed the increasing costs of the air traffic con­trollers wages.  The result of these, “disproportion­ate wages” is that Spanish airports charge more than any other European airport, a “ridiculous position” given the country’s dependence on tourism as a prime eco­nomic motor.

The union immediately announced that they intend to take whatever legal meas­ures are necessary to de­fend their current position, rejecting the methods of “imposition” devised by the government, but repeated their promise to maintain the necessary services over Easter.  However they have agreed to return to the negotiating table where Blanco assured them, “we are always willing to talk, but we have been trying to reach an agreement now for the last five years since the last collective bargaining agreement expired. 

We want more efficiency and that the navigation of our air space is more fi­nancially competitive,” he confirmed.



This article appears in the print edition 610 of Island Connections

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