Spanish airport workers call strikes for holidays

Spanish airport workers call strikes for holidays

2011-03-09 02:02:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

MADRID (BNO NEWS) -- Spanish unions called a strike on Tuesday to protest the privatization of airport operator AENA that will last 22 days, including key dates of Easter and summer vacation.

The Ministry of Transportation, however, said that there is enough time to reach an agreement and call off the strikes. José Blanco, the head of the department, announced plans to convene a meeting Thursday with representatives of the workers, El País reported.

The plan, which was registered with the Labor Ministry, slated the strike for five days of April during Easter week, five in May, three in June and August, and six in July. The strikes, which are calling about 10,500 of the 12,500 workers of the public body, will complicate the transit of passengers through airports, since they involve staff in the operations division, who are responsible for authorizing the movements of ground planes or assigning gates.

The director general of AENA, Juan Lema, has already warned that the strike would seriously affect the tourism industry at a critical time for recovery, according to the newspaper.

Spain's government plans to sell as much as 49 percent of AENA. The call, which affects 47 airports in the AENA network, is a response to concerns about the loss of rights once privatization occurs.

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