SLOVAK AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ON FIVE-DAY STRIKE

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000116 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR ECON MARR PGOV LO SUBJECT: SLOVAK AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ON FIVE-DAY STRIKE ¶1. (U) Summary. Slovakia's Air Traffic Control employees went on strike February 22, shutting down all international flights over Slovak airspace, including US military flights. The strike has resulted in significant costs to the US military due to re-routing. Slovak domestic air travel continues without delay. Ministry of Transportation sources believe they have settled the strike temporarily during afternoon negotiations on February 26, and expect ATC employees to return to work on February 27. In the meantime, before ATC workers return, Slovak aviation authorities confirm that emergency and medevac flights would be approved if requested. End Summary. The situation -------------- ¶2. (U) Slovakia's ATC union went on strike February 22 with the explicit goal of ousting ATC director Roman Biro due to stated concerns about having to work increased overtime hours; ATC workers are not seeking any increase in wages or benefits. The strike has effectively closed down the country's Bratislava-based air traffic control center for commercial and military flights, rendering international fly-over impossible. Slovakia's major airports (Bratislava, Kosice, Poprad) remain open, and domestic air travel has not been impeded, which means the issue has not assumed a high public profile in Slovakia. Ministry of Transportation sources initially feared that the strike could continue for a month or longer. However, Ministry sources now indicate that ATC workers have agreed to return to work on February 27 in exchange for promises to form an investigative task force to monitor work safety conditions, and further negotiations. It seems that the union did not follow appropriate procedures for declaring a strike, which left them open to legal action -- which Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny (Smer) threatened to pursue. The cost -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The ATC strike has had a direct impact on US military costs and flexibility. The Tanker and Airlift Control Center (TACC) at Scott AFB estimates that 77 US military transport flights had to be re-routed this past weekend at a cost of 1.075 million USD. TACC calculates that a continued strike would cost at least 270,000 USD per day. The stalemate significantly reduced TACC's ability to execute US military air transport objectives, including direct support for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Further steps -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In response to the situation, on February 26 Air Attache contacted his counterparts in the Slovak military, who confirmed that emergency and medevac flights would be allowed overflight approval despite the strike. The Embassy was prepared to schedule a short meeting between Ambassador Vallee and Minister Vazny, in which we would ask for a broader exemption allowing US military fly-overs during the strike. Based on the results of negotations between the Ministry and the ATC union on the afternoon of February 26, it appears that there is no imminent need for this meeting. Negotiations between the Ministry of Transportation and ATC will continue for several days. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the situation, maintaining close communication with the Ministry's civil aviation directors. VALLEE