Spain: Military Could Take Over Air Traffic Control - WSJ.com

3rd UPDATE: Spain: Military Could Take Over Air Traffic Control - WSJ.com: "Spain's government on Friday said the military could take over the country's air traffic control after controllers throughout the country walked off the job and forced the closure of Spanish airspace, stranding thousands of travelers on the eve of a long weekend.
In a statement, the government called on the controllers to 'immediately return to their jobs,' warning that legislation passed earlier Friday allows the country's Defense Ministry to take over supervision of the country's air traffic.
A spokeswoman for airport authority AENA said that around 90% of the country's air-traffic controllers have walked off the job, forcing it to close airspace throughout the country except in the southern region of Andalucia. She said AENA was in touch with European Union and U.S. authorities over the closure.
Monday and Wednesday are national holidays in Spain.
The legislation approved earlier Friday also opens the door to the partial privatization of AENA, and the management of individual airports by private operators. The legislation also establishes new criteria for calculating the working hours of air traffic controllers.
Air traffic controllers say the new regulations will severely limit maternity and paternity leaves, among other things, and viewed them as the latest attempt by Public Works Minister Jose Blanco to shake up their sector.
'This was the last straw,' said Daniel Zamit, a representative of Spain's union of air traffic controllers, in an interview with Spain's CNN+ television station."

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