Aviation strike may curb flights
Domestic and international flights could be disrupted on Friday and Saturday after civil aviation workers announced yesterday that they would stage a 48-hour strike at the end of this week over staff shortages. «About 75 percent of civil aviation workers are aged between 45 and 55, which means that in the next four years, about 60 percent of the staff will retire,» said Vassilis Alevizopoulos, president of the Federation of Civil Aviation Authority Unions (OSYPA). Unionists claim that technical maintenance staff and air-traffic controllers will experience the greatest shortages. According to OSYPA, about 2,700 employees are overworked, performing duties that should be covered by a staff of 3,500. Striking workers threatened to go ahead with protest protest action even if it is ruled to be illegal and abusive by a court, as in previous cases. But union sources added that the strike could be called off after talks with employers, scheduled to be held tomorrow afternoon.
