Thanks again for all the info guys!
@
Lssar: Silly me, I should have remembered the 80 hour cap on overtime from last year. Equating that to (
por exemplo) 10 eight-hour shifts per year... yes, its a dramatic reduction from those crazy times when some of you were working (from what I recall reading) up to 28 days per month... but 80 hours wouldn't be too far from what some ATCOs only do in other countries. At least now, I guess you should have a lot more quality time off?
@
Daermon: Surely nobody believes you only work 10 hours a month?? I recall back in 2010, that it was a clear struggle to expose through the so called "media" just how dangerous your workplace - and consequently Spanish airspace - had become, due to you guys being ridiculously overworked and understaffed etc. Has still none of this leaked through to the public? Are the Spanish media so effective in hiding the truth (especially if/when rewarded nicely by a certain
Ministerio de Fomento) or is it a case that the public - some of them at least - did find out the truth but didn't want to know about it, as the country is
en crisis and literally on its knees, many of them have no hope of a job, and right now that your current salary, in their eyes, is actually a damn good salary in Spain, for which you should be very grateful..??
Yes, your salaries may have been slashed by more than 50%... from the crazy overtime that you got before, when you guys were, lets face it, the best paid on the planet, to what may well be very soon one of the lesser paid in Europe. But thats looking at it on the surface, at the figures alone. You mentioned the all-important thing... cost of living, relative to what you earn. Are there not many places in Spain where you can rent a furnished 2 or 3 bed apartment for €500 a month, where you can have a 3 course meal for €15 or less, where a quality
rioja costs less than €5? Just examples, mind you.
But I think you've mentioned that already, that its less the salary thats at stake here, and more the threatening bully-boy attitude of Aena and the government. The risk of licence loss, personal fines and lack of severance pay are a much bigger stick to worry about. I would have no problem tolerating some short term austerity (which seems inevitable for all of us), if it meant that my job was secure and not under threat from a
Blanco-type dragon breathing down my neck!
As for working abroad, I would totally agree with
mixture. I know a lot of ATCOs recently joined - and more on the way to - Abu Dhabi ACC, for those of you Area-rated. They are actively recruiting, tax-free salary starts at roughly €10k a month, and the life in Dubai (where they commute from) is a hell of a lot more westernised than a lot of people realise.. so your wife might just like it!
