Airport state of alert extended amid criticism in Congress

Congress on Thursday approved the extension of the state of alert, which has been in place since air traffic controllers staged a wildcat strike on December 3.

Although the opposition Popular Party (PP) abstained from voting, the CiU Catalan nationalist bloc, the Basque Nationalist Party and the Canaries Coalition supported the government. The ERC Catalan Republican Left and the United Left voted against, questioning the constitutionality of the December 4 decree. The CiU said it was "totally convinced" of the need for an extension and that it would not back any further move to keep the state of alert in place.

The government made it clear that it did not trust the controllers - who oppose changes to their working conditions and the planned part-privatization of airports' authority AENA - not to stage a similar walkout at Christmas. The controllers' union USCA on Wednesday gave assurances that 85 percent of workers had signed an agreement not to repeat the action that shut down Spanish airspace ahead of the Constitution Day public holiday. "Those that have to decide on the prolongation of the state of alert should be aware that the situation no longer exists," USCA said.

But Ramón Jáuregui, the Cabinet secretary, defended the continued state of alert. "There was no other way to safeguard services during the weekend of December 3, and there are none now."

PP spokeswoman Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría countered that it was the "absolute incompetence" of the government that generated the state of alarm.

It was clarified yesterday that the controllers may be under military rule while at work, but otherwise they retain their civil and union rights, thus enabling a negotiated settlement between now and mid-January.