Nice pay...
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Nice pay...
Spanish air traffic controllers earn £800,000... but could be replaced by automatic systems
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 3:28 PM on 18th January 2010
Comments (9) Add to My Stories
Spanish air traffic controllers can earn a staggering £800,000 a year, despite holding numerous strikes over the past few years and causing hell for British holidaymakers.
Many are earning up to ten times more than the Spanish prime minister, and more than 50 times the average salary in the country.
Their huge pay scale will come as something of a surprise to Britons whose holidays have been ruined by striking controllers.
Overpaid? They have a stressful job, but air traffic controllers in Spain can earn up to £800,000 a year - more than 50 times the national average salary (file photo)
Just last month, passengers endured long delays because of staff shortages among controllers in the Canary Islands, while several weeks ago, two runways were closed at Madrid Barajas airport for the same reason.
José Blanco, the Minister for Development, has attacked the workers as 'privileged' and said he would replace air traffic controllers with automatic surveillance systems at the smallest airports.
'I am not willing to continue with this situation,'' he said.
The systems would be controlled by less specialised technicians, he said.
The high salaries earned by the controllers is mostly made up of overtime on top of an already-generous package compared to their counterparts in other European countries, such as Britain.
The wages also result in higher airport taxes throughout Spain.
The average basic salary is €200,000 (£176k), but most workers double or triple this by working overtime.
Of 2,300 controllers, ten were paid between €810,000 (£725k) and €900,000 last year. A further 226 were paid between €450,000 and €540,000 and 701 were paid between €270,000 and €360,000.
In Spain, air traffic controllers work 12-hour days made up of two four-hour shifts and two, two-hour rest periods.
British workers are paid an average of £60,000 but this can rise to around £90,000, according to NATS, the air traffic information service. Their French counterparts take home €110,000.
Spanish air traffic controllers caused heavy delays in 2002 and 2003 by striking.
In 2003, they proposed 10 days over strikes in July and August, including over the bank holiday, because of a proposed change in the law they claimed would limit their rights.
In June 2002, hundreds of flights were cancelled after they ordered strikes to protest against unemployment benefit reforms.
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 3:28 PM on 18th January 2010
Comments (9) Add to My Stories
Spanish air traffic controllers can earn a staggering £800,000 a year, despite holding numerous strikes over the past few years and causing hell for British holidaymakers.
Many are earning up to ten times more than the Spanish prime minister, and more than 50 times the average salary in the country.
Their huge pay scale will come as something of a surprise to Britons whose holidays have been ruined by striking controllers.
Overpaid? They have a stressful job, but air traffic controllers in Spain can earn up to £800,000 a year - more than 50 times the national average salary (file photo)
Just last month, passengers endured long delays because of staff shortages among controllers in the Canary Islands, while several weeks ago, two runways were closed at Madrid Barajas airport for the same reason.
José Blanco, the Minister for Development, has attacked the workers as 'privileged' and said he would replace air traffic controllers with automatic surveillance systems at the smallest airports.
'I am not willing to continue with this situation,'' he said.
The systems would be controlled by less specialised technicians, he said.
The high salaries earned by the controllers is mostly made up of overtime on top of an already-generous package compared to their counterparts in other European countries, such as Britain.
The wages also result in higher airport taxes throughout Spain.
The average basic salary is €200,000 (£176k), but most workers double or triple this by working overtime.
Of 2,300 controllers, ten were paid between €810,000 (£725k) and €900,000 last year. A further 226 were paid between €450,000 and €540,000 and 701 were paid between €270,000 and €360,000.
In Spain, air traffic controllers work 12-hour days made up of two four-hour shifts and two, two-hour rest periods.
British workers are paid an average of £60,000 but this can rise to around £90,000, according to NATS, the air traffic information service. Their French counterparts take home €110,000.
Spanish air traffic controllers caused heavy delays in 2002 and 2003 by striking.
In 2003, they proposed 10 days over strikes in July and August, including over the bank holiday, because of a proposed change in the law they claimed would limit their rights.
In June 2002, hundreds of flights were cancelled after they ordered strikes to protest against unemployment benefit reforms.
- Prairie Chicken
- Rank 7
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- Location: Gone sailing...
Re: Nice pay...
I find this really difficult to believe. 800,000 euro is over $1.2 million Cdn. This just does not seem plausible.
Prairie Chicken
- Dust Devil
- Rank 11
- Posts: 4027
- Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:55 am
- Location: Riderville
Re: Nice pay...
Those guys need a dose of Reagan.
//=S=//
A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed
A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed
Re: Nice pay...
Kudos to them for having the balls to demand what they (think) they are worth. We could stand to do more of that here. I'd settle for, oh, half.
"What's it doing now?"
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
Re: Nice pay...
And so it starts...xsbank wrote:I'd settle for, oh, half.
- Dust Devil
- Rank 11
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- Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:55 am
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Re: Nice pay...
I'll take half of what you'll takexsbank wrote:Kudos to them for having the balls to demand what they (think) they are worth. We could stand to do more of that here. I'd settle for, oh, half.
//=S=//
A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed
A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed
Re: Nice pay...
That is INSANE. I have put in my papers for transfer to Spain . All you need is one year work and you pretty much cover what my pension will be at retirement.
-
- Rank 11
- Posts: 3239
- Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2004 11:58 am
Re: Nice pay...
They are underpaid.
I'm serious have you ever flown EasyJet or Ryanair having to control that gong show of British and Irish tourists....
I'm serious have you ever flown EasyJet or Ryanair having to control that gong show of British and Irish tourists....
Re: Nice pay...
Then somebody will come along and pay half of the half you take to get the job.Dust Devil wrote:I'll take half of what you'll takexsbank wrote:Kudos to them for having the balls to demand what they (think) they are worth. We could stand to do more of that here. I'd settle for, oh, half.
Re: Nice pay...
£800,000 a year seems a bit staggering
Although it must be difficult to be a controller in Spain, especially with aircraft deviating all over the place because of TCAS
Although it must be difficult to be a controller in Spain, especially with aircraft deviating all over the place because of TCAS
Re: Nice pay...
I'll have to confirm this with my ATC friends in Switzerland.
In Switzerland, every five years a controller gets a two week company paid vacation at a health spa of his/her choice.
In Switzerland, every five years a controller gets a two week company paid vacation at a health spa of his/her choice.
bmc
Re: Nice pay...
Ya, but they don't get to fly!
ok I'm still going to cry.
ok I'm still going to cry.
No trees were harmed in the transmission of this message. However, a rather large number of electrons were temporarily inconvenienced.
- High Flyin
- Rank 4
- Posts: 216
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:08 pm
- Location: Up in the air
Re: Nice pay...
Bullshit they make that much. So they make $600 an hour? If they are paid twice a month then each paycheck is for $50,000. Complete bullshit.
- Dust Devil
- Rank 11
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- Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:55 am
- Location: Riderville
Re: Nice pay...
you seem displeasedJon Daly wrote:Bullshit they make that much. So they make $600 an hour? If they are paid twice a month then each paycheck is for $50,000. Complete bullshit.
//=S=//
A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed
A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed
- High Flyin
- Rank 4
- Posts: 216
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:08 pm
- Location: Up in the air
Re: Nice pay...
I'am! After the work they do they only pull in $50,000 every two weeks...How is one to survive?Dust Devil wrote:you seem displeasedJon Daly wrote:Bullshit they make that much. So they make $600 an hour? If they are paid twice a month then each paycheck is for $50,000. Complete bullshit.
Re: Nice pay...
This has a few of us scratching our heads.........
Maybe that figure includes all compensation including pension, health etc?
Maybe that figure includes all compensation including pension, health etc?