Spanish air staff threaten Easter strike

Air traffic controllers in Spain are threatening to bring chaos to the Easter break by striking over pay.

Talks between the Spanish airports authority and the controllers' union broke down this week.

They were in talks after development minister Jose Blanco vowed to slash the salaries of controllers by up to 40 per cent.

Controller earn £175,000 a year plus huge bonuses.
An agreement must be reached before the current deal end on March 31, four days before Easter Sunday.

Tourism chiefs said a strike at the 48 state-run airports could prove calamitous. The industry is already reeling from a 16 per cent drop in visitors last year.