MADRID, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Spanish air traffic controllers met airports authority AENA on Wednesday to try to avoid a strike against cuts in pay and working conditions, a spokesman for their union said.
Air traffic controllers took the first steps towards a strike on Tuesday by voting to give the leaders of their USCA union the power to call a walkout. However, they could call it off if AENA and the Public Works Ministry which controls it change their attitude, the union said.
"We just ask for an hour of (Public Works Minister Jose Blanco’s) time to explain ourselves … if we see a change in attitude we will reconsider the strike," USCA spokesman Cesar Cabo said.
The ministry ended talks with air traffic controllers in February after failing to reach an agreement on changing working conditions and pushed through legislation openening up the sector to competition from other public and private entities.
Air traffic controllers’ relatively high salaries and short working hours have raised hackles in the Spanish media as the country applies painful public sector pay cuts to ease its deficit and allay sovereign debt solvency concerns.
The controllers want to avoid an independent arbitration process which would arise with the industrial action as they feel this would lead to an unfavourable ruling against them.
"Calling a strike involves many risks, including an arbitrator’s ruling which I think is what the ministry wants," USCA spokesman Daniel Zamit said at the news conference.
Spain is the world’s second most popular tourist destination and any stoppage to its civil aviation is likely to cause havoc to a country struggling to surface from a two year economic crisis.
