The Air Traffic Controllers Union (USCA) has demanded this Monday to the Ministry of Transport that Enaire temporarily assume control of the airport towers that are in charge of Saerco, having verified that the situation of the company would prevent it from fulfilling its obligations.
These are the airports of Seville; Jerez (Cádiz); Cuatro Vientos (Madrid); Vigo (Pontevedra), La Coruña; La Palma, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the union recalls in a note sent this Monday.
This request occurs after the company itself recognized, in a ruling by the social chamber of the National Court on June 30, its impossibility to comply with the labor conditions established by a mandatory arbitration award, arguing that such compliance would lead it "to bankruptcy".
As the majority union of the air traffic controllers group, USCA recalls that its obligation is to ensure the labor rights of professionals "who work in increasingly precarious conditions", in addition to alerting "when the sustainability of the service is at risk and may affect operational safety".
Law 9/2010 establishes that air transit services must be provided in a "safe, efficient, continuous and economically sustainable" manner, so when a provider —like Saerco— recognizes that it cannot assume the economic obligations derived from its labor commitments, it is "clearly violating one of the pillars that support its authorization as a certified provider".
Therefore, the union considers that the competent authority should suspend Saerco's certification as a precautionary measure and entrust "in a transitory way" the provision of the service to Enaire, a public entity that already manages most of the Spanish airspace and whose "technical, operational and financial" solvency allows guaranteeing the safety and continuity of the service, the note adds.
Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Transport "cannot remain impassive, and must act responsibly to avoid further damage to the public interest and the Spanish air navigation system", says USCA.
