Spanish air controllers return to work

Air traffic controllers have started to return to work in Spain after the government declared a state of emergency upon the canceling of all flights.

AENA, the country’s airport management authority, announced that air controllers had returned to their posts at 28 of the 58 airspace districts on Saturday, DPA said.

In a crisis meeting, ministers decided to launch an extraordinary action, including mobilizing air traffic controllers, against the strike as well as criminal action against any worker who refuses to return to work for two weeks.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodrigo Zapatero has now put air traffic under the military’s control.

Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba warned of serious prison sentences for strikers who defy the law.

The wildcat strikes have blocked flights for two days, disrupting holiday travel for at least 300,000 passengers. Some airports might resume operations as early as today.

The Spanish air traffic controllers are striking over payment and working hours. Their walkout coincided with the government’s approval of a measure to privatize 49 percent of AENA.

The Transport Ministry vowed to lower salaries, it considers excessive, as part of Spain’s austerity measures, AFP reported.

A spokesman for the Syndicate Union of Air Controllers said that the government’s move will mean that paternity and sick leave will not be included in the air traffic controllers’ maximum working hours per year.

There are currently 2,300 air traffic controllers in Spain.