Class # 11 Friday 10/12/10

Activity 1: Reading/Fill the gaps/ International News

Spanish Controllers Refuse To Testify About Strike

by The Associated Press

MADRID December 9, 2010, 11:59 am ET

Spanish air traffic controllers whose wildcat strike paralyzed the country's air space and  ____________   more than 600,000 people last weekend refused on Thursday to be questioned by prosecutors investigating the case.

Madrid Provincial Prosecutor Eduardo Esteban said a first group of 12 controllers refused to testify, arguing the investigation should be _________  by a military court following the government's use of emergency measures that put the controllers under military authority last week.

He said he would recommend to give the cases to a court judge, if the controllers persist ________ refusing to testify before prosecutors.

Attorney General Candido Conde-Pumpido said the controllers could eventually be charged _______  sedition and face jail terms under existing Spain's air navigation law, if by stopping work they halt air traffic or paralyze an airport.

____________  Friday's strike occurring during one of Spain's busiest holidays, affected 600,000 travelers and cost the country hundreds of millions of euros in lost business.

Before Parliament on Thursday, Zapatero defended the government's decision to declare Spain's first "state of alarm" since the country returned to democracy in 1978, saying it was "unavoidable given the calamitous situation."

The measure put the controllers under military control and _____________  them with jail, if they refused to work. By Saturday evening Spain's airports were back in operation.

The controllers union, meanwhile, _____________  the emergency measures before the Madrid region's Superior Tribunal. The group could face disciplinary proceedings by the Development Ministry and possible judicial action by military courts.

The controllers walked off the job after the Cabinet approved a decree that ordered those who miss work because of illness to make up lost hours and said those who call in sick can be forced to get medical checkups.

The protest was the culmination of a ________________ dispute with the government over working conditions, work schedules and benefits.

Spanish air traffic controllers get triple time pay for overtime hours, for instance, and made ____________ of their salary from this, earning an average of  € 350,000 ($463,600) a year.

In February the government slashed their allowed overtime hours drastically, _____________the controllers who saw their pay nearly cut in half, although that is still roughly three times what Zapatero makes a year        (€ 80,000 – $ 105,000). The average yearly salary in Spain is about € 20,000 ($26,500).

Infuriating

Stranded

All

Appealed

Threatened

The last

In

                                                            

By

Long-running

Handled

Last

Terrific

Much

 Activity 2: Open class discussion: Spain in the news.

·         The pressure of the work of an air traffic controller is intense and each shift is underlined by the fear that one mistake could be fatal. Many passengers agree about the fact that preventing aircraft collisions is worthy of reward Do you agree? What other jobs have similar pressure to air traffic control?

·         Some controllers are earning more than € 950,000 a year. Do you think this amount of money compensates the stress of being an air traffic controller?

·         The revelation that some of Spain’s air traffic controllers can earn ten times more than their Prime Minister — and more than 50 times the average salary — has provoked outrage. Is it outrageous that an air traffic controller earns 10 times more that a Prime Minister?

·         British air traffic controllers are paid €70,000 on average but this can rise to around €100,000 a year. Their French counterparts take home €110,000. In Spain, although a small number of air traffic controllers are paid between €810,000 and €900,000 most of them are paid between €450,000 and €540,000 or between €270,000 and €360,000.  All in all, the average salary in Spain for an air traffic controller is € 200,000. Is it fair that Spanish ontrollers make much more than British and French controllers?

·         Spanish air traffic controllers work 12-hour days made up of two four-hour shifts and two, two-hour rest periods. They must have a degree, speak good English and pass a medical test every two years. After they are 40, they must undergo the test every year. A long list of medical complaints, including heart or digestive problems, will rule them out of the job. The minimum entry age is 18 and the maximum working age is 55. Air controllers must pass a series of exams, including one on aeronautics and other psychological tests before being accepted for training. These tests aim to establish if they are able to withstand fatigue and high levels of stress. If they pass, they undergo 15 months training.

Do you have the requirements to be an air traffic controller?  Would you like to be an air traffic controller?

Activity 3: Useful phrases

Using conversation phrases to show someone around your house (p.22)