Spanish airports, ¿What is going on?

[jordifs]

Hi,

Two times I've seen news about air controller employees leaving their positions without previous notice. I found these actions very serious. As I understand these actions did not happened as depicted.

I recently read the following article:
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/218969-Air-traffic-controller-walkout-closes-most-of-Spain-s-airports

I asked about it to a friend which is an air traffic controller.
¿What do you know about it?

On his last email he told me that something big is happening.
It was raised a “status alert”or an “emergency state”.
This effectively declares the Spanish constitution as non existent (not valid).
The military is now in command of all air traffic controllers.
He has now a military rank of Sargento (in english “Sergeant”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant).
I believe that until new orders arrive, all his “rights” as an employee are gone.

I understand his comments after reading this article:
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/219002-Spain-calls-in-military-to-deal-with-air-traffic-controllers-strike

He said me on a previous date, that some announced “strikes” did not really happened.
Actually on December what do happen is that “some” employees cannot work due to contract restrictions. For an employee there is a maximum amount of 200 working hours per month. More is forbidden due to safety regulations. It seems to me that this perfectly known and planned event is being used for nefarious purposes.

¿May this event be related to Cassiopaean Scripts, 29th December 2009?
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=15338.msg124850#msg124850

(A***) Should we ask about the weather, or...?

(Anart) Are they eventually going to just shut down international travel?

A: Yes

Q: (A***) How soon?

A: 8 months possible.

...


(Scottie) 5D city on a hill, 8 months until international travel stops... oh, and there's no time!!

A: It will not be total shutdown and it will not be long lasting either.

Q: (L) So in other words, they'll do it. They'll try it, and something will happen and there'll be a reaction.

(P*****) Why they will shut down the airports?

A: Wait and see.

Recently the weather affected air traffic on Europe. But this does not explain what the heck is happening on Spain. I believe that something is missing to fully understand.

Sincerely,
Jordi

 

[Roger]

Sounds like the "Power that wanta be" don't like the idea of people being free to travel...Sounds like Germany of 1934, Where are your papers...Getting people used to obeying authority figures...lets see how far it will go?

 

[eliansito]

I am spanish, and for the little I know, and from the information gathering of those recent events there is a couple of points that were raised by an air controller on a blog seemingly set to voice the controllers arguments after the negative reaction of the general public recently,

I am summarizing, original article and comments below:

Air controllers have seen a steady reduction of salary and a steady increase of shift hours and changes in their contract conditions, it is no longer a dream job if it ever was. Their working time computes only when they are "plugged" as they call it, ie sitting in front of the screen, disregarding all of the other duties they perform, among other unlawful measures, such as the denial of right to strike. They don't even have an Statute for their field anymore.

Their complain is not the money, which is still good, compared to other jobs that is, maybe not so for the amount of stress and response-abilities involved in their job, rather about the draconian shifts and the general lack of rights.

The number of active controllers is by far insufficient thus forcing upon them too tight back to back shifts and schedules.

The government made a plan to increase the number of controllers in order to ease the working time of those already working, and when the time was due to realize this plan, instead of completing it, went on and modified the statues by decree changing the game rules so that it can legally force upon the controllers more of the hardships they are already enduring.

It has been repeatedly announced that military controllers would take over, the author of the article of the blog goes on saying that such a thing is next to impossible for various reasons, first that there are only about 200 military air controllers, being roughly 2000 the number needed hypothetically, that the period those controllers would need to adapt their current training/skills/knowledge to that of commercial controlling would be 2 months at least, that traffic for military controllers is 2 planes a day whilst commercial average in spain is said to be 60 a day, and last but not least that the level of english language of those military personal is inexistent or basic at best, thus unfit for commercial operations.

The government has even threatened to militarize their job, ie turning them into military personnel and thus they would be subjected to a military jury in case they persist with their protest.

By decree it has also made it so that they can now be prosecuted and even have their accounts/assets executed should they persist, they could even face incarceration. Those threats are at this time still hovering over the heads of the controllers who have participated in the action.

Those government measures were made and published shortly after their strike and have caused more stir even and more antagonizing.

Seems the government has imposed a media black out, forbidding the media to directly contact any of them and them in turn from publicly addressing the media, except for the carefully chosen representatives.

That media has been very keen and quick in the dramatization and victimization of the general public suffering from the "strike".


The general public is divided but the sheeple of course blame the controllers for "hijacking the country", "stopping the economy", and "making innocent people pay", "everybody has a lousy job and you earn far more money and complain the most" those claims have been conveniently capitalized and utilized by the government via the media, with testimonies of stranded holiday makers at airports, ONG personnel, transplants on hold etc... you name it, targeting the audience emotions as it should be.

The minimum services for them to strike is said to be 120%, go figure.

The controller said they have resorted to such actions only after they have long exhausted every other means legal trough many suits and union wise, and that there have been many attempts of an easier-on-the-public approach before.

AENA, the state company responsible for airport managing is said to have evolved from a highly efficient and profitable operation to a nest of corruption and that projects involving construction of new unnecessary airports as well as existing airports renovation/ampliation is common occurrence and a slowly draining the company resources which has then turned on the controllers salaries to compensate its deficits.


Whether all of this is happening as a part of a bigger plan it could well be, as is happening with the TSA scanners, if they squeeze one of the parts of the whole of air transport, all will suffer, in this case the controllers would be the weapon of choice with the added benefit of making them appear as the bad guys and distract all eyes off the PTB.

These are my 2 cents, forgive lack of sources or any inaccuracy in this recount.

__http://controladoresareosyotrashierbas.blogspot.com/2010/12/ver-si-nos-entendemos.html (in spanish)

 

[jordifs]

Some more information about this issue.

1.- The Civil Guard forced some drivers to work at gunpoint (Newspaper)
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=ca&ie=UTF-8&sl=es&tl=en&u=http://www.publico.es/espana/350197/la-guardia-civil-obligo-a-algunos-controladores-a-trabajar-a-punta-de-pistola&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.es&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiib_LDibZh-tuIio0nSP0OF3lqng

2.- The government has decided to make a coup, ordering the army to solve this conflict in air traffic controllers.
http://translate.google.es/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=ca&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=es&tl=en&u=http://www.lahaine.org/index.php%3Fblog%3D2%26p%3D49799

Quote: “The government and Aena decided already in February that the minimum number of hours worked go up from 1200 to 1700 hours, which on the one hand forcing everyone to work harder and over that time as unpaid overtime.”
3.- the military to take control towers at airports (BLOG)
http://translate.google.es/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=ca&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=es&tl=en&u=http://jmalvarezblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/el-regimen-juancarlista-ordena-los.html

Quote: “The regime has ordered the military to take control towers and force (if anyone) the civilian personnel working in them, to comply with military discipline and work under threat of "sedition" a crime that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison for protesting”


4.- The government declares a "state of alert" (Spanish Radio Podcast)
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=ca&ie=UTF-8&sl=es&tl=en&u=http://www.cope.es/espana/04-12-10--el-gobierno-declara-el--estado-de-alarma-224547-1&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.es&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhgre1RXo8vM6_jx50ge2s8J_COEqA


And now my opinion:
I've seen this as a process, moving toward this final action (military).
As I've confirmed with a friend, which work as an air traffic controller, they are mostly a band of sheep. My friend is on an internet forum speaking to colleagues and ... there is not any organized counteraction, none. They feel overwhelmed by the media blackout, they are told not to speak with media.
The leading representatives of the group have no option on the meetings with the government. The conversation was, you accept the government rules or ... the government will pass an execution order (Spanish: Decreto Ley) and will impose the new rule by law. A summary can be: you contact is no longer valid. So basically they accepted, and no intention to search for another solution was on the table.
This includes:
- raising working hours 1200 up to 1700.
- lowering the salary.
- creating a set of special conditions where the state requires them to work hardly with no economic compensation.

At the same time they started to revise the whole list of employee illnesses.
One colleague has a medical test and justification that validated a dreaming disorder. Cannot sleep for more than 3 hours. He is on drugs to sleep. The medic selected by the government said he is ill because “he wants to” and that his girlfriend is “pregnant to avoid going to work” (also air traffic controller).

As some news above mention, on this long weekend 3-6-8th December: the government changed, again, the working conditions. I assume with a harsh result for the targeted victims.

My conclusions with this input is: the government is desperately seeking confrontation. ¿A conflict is needed?

By the way, interesting on 7th December 2010 there is an initiative to withdraw money and crush the banking system. I found it interesting because these two events do happen on the same 'long weekend' (at least for spanish citizens).

 

[Joe]

Given Spain's economic situation, the complete paralyzing of Spain's air traffic probably had the potential to cause serious problems. Hence the state of emergency and forcing of the controllers to go back to work.

 

[Green_Manalishi]

Given Spain's economic situation, the complete paralyzing of Spain's air traffic probably had the potential to cause serious problems. Hence the state of emergency and forcing of the controllers to go back to work.

And it wasn't just Spain. In Portugal a lot of flights were cancelled, because was you can imagine, a flight from Portugal to anywhere in Europe must cross Spanish airspace.

 

[Joe]

Given Spain's economic situation, the complete paralyzing of Spain's air traffic probably had the potential to cause serious problems. Hence the state of emergency and forcing of the controllers to go back to work.

And it wasn't just Spain. In Portugal a lot of flights were cancelled, because was you can imagine, a flight from Portugal to anywhere in Europe must cross Spanish airspace.

Indeed, the bottom line being that, people can protest etc. but they will not be allowed to really take down a government and restructure a society. The only thing we can really do therefore is to inform ourselves and others, become aware of what life and reality is all about, and hope that that will be enough to effect a non-linear change. Protests etc are useful, anything that serves, in whatever way, to break people out of their apathy and sleep is important.

 

[endescent]

In a way, it's comforting to me to see that anywhere in the world, be it in Ireland, Spain, the UK, Haiti, people are revolting against widespread oppression and injustice. Yes, the PTB have many people and resources at their disposal, but the people (David of the mythological confrontation) will stand up to the Goliath in the name of what is right. These are signs of the unbreakable human spirit, IMHO.