Guardia civil officers are also fed up with the fact that their salaries have been reduced, and are now making a statement of their own by downing pens and doing only the minimum while staying within the law.
The number of fines they have handed out has gone down by 50% in a month in Murcia province, and by 70% in Alicante province, a fact which will affect the country’s coffers dramatically.
A spokesperson for the Asociación Unificada de Guardias Civiles (AUGC) confirmed last Wednesday that the trafico agents were only handing out fines for very serious offences, when drivers were endangering the lives of others, or after a particularly serious accident.
Patrol cars and motor cyclists are still carrying out their normal duties, but as well as a reduction in fines, they have also reduced the number of routine checks, such as checks on drivers’ ID or car documentation. This fact seems quite apparent in recent days particularly with fewer sited at busy junctions and roundabouts. The routine alcohol checks are the only procedures which have not been reduced or stopped.
Trafico admits that the number of fines in June went down by half, from 5,000 to 2,500 in the region of Murcia alone.
What is particularly unusual about this protest is that it began completely spontaneously, initially in Guardia Civil headquarters and barracks and on internet forums. It is aimed specifically as a response to the 5% salary cut which all civil servants were handed last month, and the lack of interest the government appears to be showing to improve their conditions.
A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil officers cites as the final straw which has caused the undercover strike, as the continuous rumours of the possible loss of 150 euros a month, which the officers had negotiated as a reward for increased productivity, back in 2008.
But what is happening at present can’t really be described as a strike, as the officers are continuing to work, and are fulfilling their minimum duties. Perhaps a ‘work to rule’ might be a better description of their current practice.
The Association of Guardia Civil Officers has also been quite clear to the authorities regarding what they consider to be fair pay. Throughout Spain’s short period of democracy, rather surprisingly, Guardia Civil officers have always earned less than Local, Municipal and National Police Officers, despite, they say, doing a far more dangerous job and working extremely hard.
They say they have never been treated with parity, except when it comes to pay cuts.
Meanwhile fifty firefighters in Valencia also refused to do overtime from last Wednesday. They protested at the gates of the Town Hall demanding payment of outstanding wages, as well as increases to the number of staff and improvement to equipment and material.
Not only are they tired by a lack of response from the authorities, they are also extremely dissatisfied with the pay cuts that they too are currently suffering, a loss they say of at least 3,200 euros a year for every fire fighter. The personnel board of the Consortium has now decided to put a stop to all overtime. "Only emergencies will be handled,” explained board members.
"They talk of austerity, "lamented Salvador Deltell, chairman of the board, "but the cuts are only for us. The politicians do not fulfil their promises.”
Following the protest, which will be repeated before the Generalitat in Valencia next Tuesday, the deputy responsible for the area, Xavier Castañer, blamed the Government and the municipalities saying that these institutions owed his officers 7.8 million euros and 2.8 million respectively.
Spanish Minister Jose Blanco said that the government will bring in military air traffic controllers to cover the sickness of the air traffic controllers in exceptional circumstances. “We are obliged to take alternative measures”, explained Blanco, “to guarantee the safety of air traffic in Spain.” Military air traffic controllers at Murcia Airport have been directing civil air traffic since the airport opened. They have been doing so for a fraction of the pay that civil air traffic controllers receive, much to their additional indignation.
Now that the controllers pay is being frozen they too appear to have decided to make the government´s job as difficult as possible. When a quarter of the staff all take a sickie on the same day it begins to look just a little bit suspicious.
For a military air traffic controller to man a civil control tower they need specific order from government. This is now being dealt with, so military workers will be able to step in at short notice should they be required to do so.
Blanco has confirmed that the procedure can be carried out quickly. He said, “We wish we didn´t have to do it, but unfortunately it appears to be a necessity.”
The Social Security Minister is now looking into the “sick leave” of the air traffic controllers in Barcelona. “Most cases were put down to stress and anxiety,” he said, “which are not compatible with this line of work. To be an air traffic controller it is not enough to have a high level of English, but also to be psychologically strong.” They are considering creating new tests with which to check this capability.
Blanco is also looking into whether it is acceptable to report a sick leave just minutes before a shift begins, leaving AENA with no time whatsoever to resolve problems caused by the lack of staff. He says that if they cannot fulfil their legal obligations then they may be fired, adding, “They cannot say they are badly paid when many earn 2.5 times more than the doctor who signed their sick note.” He said they are not working any more than they did in 2009. “Last year they received triple pay for overtime, which seemed to ease both their stress and their anxiety.”
But Blanco´s words didn´t stop a quarter of Barcelona´s controllers failing to turn up for work last Tuesday morning. According to AENA, 53 people should have been on duty at the Centre for Air Traffic Control in Gava, Barcelona, but only 40 arrived. Fortunately the aircraft were still able to operate with normally, with no undue delays on that day.
AENA is now looking into whether the absences amount to a covert strike. But Trade Union leaders claim that the sick leave is a result of badly planned shifts, and that all the workers have justified doctors´ notes.
But the problems now extend way beyond Barcelona with Air traffic controllers signing off work at airports all over the country. AENA have now ordered an official investigation into the matter. Last Monday the 39 absent workers across the country caused delays of up to 30 minutes in the afternoon flights, and up to an hour in the morning flights.
And with the summer holidays now in full swing no-one would be too surprised if the controllers didn’t increase the action they are taking.
