Ows opines...

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A few words on last weekend's wildcat strike by the Spanish air-traffic controllers: I was traveling - as you might expect - but luckily only by car to see some cousins in the South of France. Anyway, those few words: you're fucking fucked you nepotistic bunch of selfish, stupid fuckers. Talk about Spanish practices. I've seen some of the reports but nobody seems to be telling all of it. Reported: this was unannounced; this was one of the most important weekends of the year (double bank holiday this week), it was too rash, too unadvised, too sudden...(with apologies to Will the bard).

The way it's going to turn out is sure to get conspiracy theorists maintaining there is a government mole high up in the ATC union of the 2200 controllers that have a monopoly and rule the roost, literally: largely unreported: 80% are relatives or friends of the more "experienced employees"...should I repeat that? The first bit is that the government has been trying to end this monopoly, this strike was SO FUCKING STUPID that the government's wishes will come true...and then some: apart from gaol time not being out of the question, wages will be lowered to a more reasonable level (apparently 50,000 to 70,000 Euros per year is the average whilst in Spain the average is EUR200,000...reaching 600 thousand on occasion); wages will be slashed, less overtime, fewer privileges; they may even be made to pay for the losses they have caused; the nepotistic dream of veterans being allowed to veto new signings will disappear etc. This will be one case of unions for workers rights being completely and utterly crushed and yet the whole country will cheer it on. [details in Spanish]