On Monday, thousands of British tourists started to get worried about their holidays in Spain because Spanish air traffic controllers started a series of two-hours-long walkouts planned for the week. Holidaymakers are hurrying up to book rooms for them because they'll have to deal with delays or cancellations of their flights.
The eight walkouts planned will be two hours long. The first two were performed on Monday, but there are more planned for Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The Spanish law says that there has to be at least 70% of the air controllers' staff during walkouts but many will say that they're sick so they can stay home. The reason of these strikes, organised by USCA (the Spanish air controllers' association) is to protest against the sanction given to 61 air controllers that made a walkout facing Aena back in 2010 (the military force's procedure was needed then). They were initially planned for May but were put off because of the Germanwings plane crash.
Many tourists will lose their money because the services that they've hired can't change their dates (hotels, trips, flights...). Air controllers' say that it's their only alternative to do a walkout despite the economic damage for their country and tourists. Some airlines have the intention to maintain all their flights, althought they might be delayed.
Personally I think that air controllers shouldn't stop air traffic for several days like that. I don't mean that they can't do a walkout. If they want to, it's their right. But I think that it is quite exaggerated to stop working for several days, leaving all the tourists without their dreamt (and paid) holidays.
Here you have the video of the news!
VOCABULARY
strike: work stoppage. Walkout also means the same.
holidaymaker: somebody on vacation, tourist.
stranded: unable to leave.
spokesman (spokesperson): speaker for a group.
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