Air Traffic Controllers called to Court

 

A court in Madrid has cited 16 air traffic controllers, including the head of their USCA union, as part of an ongoing criminal case concerning the strike which caused widespread disruption at Spanish airports towards the end of last year.

The controllers were called to give evidence following a suit brought by a group of various travellers who were affected by the strike. A total of 8,000 people are seeking compensation of up to 10,000 euros each for the damages caused to them by the disruption.

The government was forced to declare the country's first state of alert since the return of demaocracy and ordered the military to take charge of control towers after the sstrike caused Spain's airspace to grind to a halt up to and over the busy holiday weekend.

The action took the form of many controllers calling in sick, in what AENA said at the time was unannounced orchestrated industrial action.

AENA and the Union had been in disagreement over working conditions, with the airport operator looking to cap on their salaries. Some controllers were earning close to one million euros a year through extensive overtime.