scud8

iTrader: (1)

Send armed police to escort the strikers back to work and threaten them with jail for sedition.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...ts-reopen.html

DCI Gene Hunt

Gets my vote.....

David Lock

I think the Spanish Gov't must have hired M Thatcher as a consultant

A major factor is that the controllers earn an average of E300k per annum so the public have no sympathy with them. A bit like bankers over here asking for a pay rise

dl

Leslie

No one here with the guts to do that any more!

Les

scud8

iTrader: (1)

Gets my vote given it was an unofficial, so illegal, strike - as I understand it they all phoned in sick.

David Lock

Well they would be a lot sicker if they all got sacked and govt hired in Spanish speaking S American controllers at half their wages

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

Sounds a bit like what a lot of factories have/would do over here...

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Thing is this is only half a story:

Spanish ATC workers (as well as French) have been on go-slow for a YEAR! Enough is enough!

I've been lucky enough to avoid it, but I have copped a few flights that have been delayed and its annoying. Basically, they go a on short siesta in the early afternoon - and to hell with any flights that are scheduled during that period.

Whilst striking is acceptable, there comes a point that a government has to turn around and say its gone for much much too long, and its time shut up and get back to work.

You can't have people striking indefinetely, nor without notice. Otherwise its just becomes stupid and damaging. Especially when the strikers control a main infrastructure that is critical to the operation of the country; Declaring martial law is the right thing to do.

I'd have no problem if this happened in the UK if our Airport/aircraft, Police, Ambulance, refuse, Fire, Bus or Train workers etc. went on unauthorised strikes. As it is ultimately in the public's best interest.

tony de wonderful

Unions are like gangsters.

It's never the weakest workers who can strike anyway, it's the ones with leverage and privilege already.

Leslie

They usually have their own agenda anyway!

Les

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

So very true unfortunately.

speedking

Air Traffic Controllers are highly skilled and trained thouh. Not sure I'd want to be talked down by a squaddie.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Thats why there were forced to go back to work under threat of arrest : Part of martial law allows the military the right to commandeer and demand civilians capeable of certain specialist tasks to do it. No choice; work or imprisonment.

Nobody in their right mind would sit a squaddie infront of a radar screen.

Same as no normal person wants to go to jail or have a criminal record. I suppose some die hards would take that option, but this is the opertunity to call their bluff.

If every ATC worker was arrested for refusing, then military ATC would take control as a last resort, and it would only handle as many flights as it could cope with (i.e very limited); remember the military have their own aircraft and airbases, so they do have the staff for the job, albeit in limited numbers.

ReallyReallyGoodMeat

As I understand it from what I heard from the news at the time, the reason for it being a mass sickie instead of an official strike is that in Spain, unlike the UK, during even an official strike the union has an obligation to keep a certain amount of services running, thus the effectiveness of official strikes is nowhere near as much as in the UK. So they took the only way to do a 'proper' strike, which was the sickie.