MADRID
SPAIN'S main unions said yesterday that the nationwide general strike being called for 29th September may mean that there will be no international flights and only suburban train services running on that day.
Representatives for the Workers Commission (CCOO) and the General Workers' Union (UGT) Antonio del Campo and José Javier Cubillo respectively, were speaking in Madrid as they delivered their proposed minimum services for the period of the general strike to Central Government's Minister for Public Works.
Del Campo and Cubillo know that they now have to negotiate just what they mean by minimum services with the ministry headed by José Blanco. They are confident, however, that there is every chance of both government and unions reaching agreement on the issue.
The union proposals, both explained, are based on agreements on minimum services which were reached between unions and government on the occasion of a general strike dating back to 27th January, 1994 but which have been updated and adapted to meet current needs.
Both the CCOO and UGT have designed the minimum services proposals to integrate all modes of existing transport in order to avoid duplication. The representatives claim that they have taken into account both the right of workers to strike and the needs of civilians to travel from one place to another.
Del Campo and Cubillo were able to confirm that their proposals for 29th September mean that no international flights whatsoever will be permitted to take off from Spain. In terms of arrivals, only intercontinental flights which have taken off before the start of the general strike will be allowed to land. Flights which would otherwise be using Spanish air space on that day will have to vary their route.
So far as national air traffic is concerned, there will be one journey on each route allowed (one going and one coming) between the mainland and the Balearic and Canary Islands and Melilla (the Spanish city in North Africa). There will be one inter-island flight allowed, again each way and one flight per route between national airports where the distance is greater than 500 kilometres. The unions also acknowledged the necessity of the movement of technical support traffic.
Defining what train services will be running on 29th September, both CCOO and UGT said they envisaged no long distance passenger or freight services running at all, there will only be a limited number of suburban trains. As a guideline, the unions said that there will be a service every half hour during the rush hour (6am-9am) and a train every hour between 6pm and 9pm. There will be none running between 9am and 6pm.
Bus and coach services would only be considered, said the unions, where there were no other transport alternatives. They recognised however, that priority should be given to emergency transport requirements such as those servicing hospitals, or any other organisations which are linked to citizen safety such as the Police and Fire services.
Certain essential marine freight transport will be allowed, the unions confirmed.