Summer of discontent for travel

Air travel is likely to be worst affected in a series of planned strikes across Europe this summer

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Travellers are facing a summer of discontent in Europe as unions face up to bosses and Brussels in a series of disputes.

The most widespread strikes could come as a result of a stand-off between air traffic controllers and European transport ministers over a "single skies" policy.

Ministers meeting in Luxembourg late on Monday decided to press ahead with their plans to unify air traffic control despite threats of strike action by unions.

The strike, which has begun on Wednesday, is planned to continue throughout June, in particular in France, Greece, Italy and Portugal.

But the air traffic industrial action is likely to be made worse by local disputes over pay and working conditions with the worst affected being Italian national flag carrier Alitalia and Italian public train and ferry services.

Greece kicked off a general strike over government pension reform plans on Tuesday when public sector workers walked out hitting ferry, bus, and train services as well as hospital cover.

Ferries will be anchored on Wednesday as seamen stage a 48-hour stoppage.

Police were called in after strike demonstrators occupied the Ministry of National Economy building in Athens and hung banners calling for the withdrawal of the pension bill.

The 15 EU ministers say the air traffic measures are designed to ease congestion and reduce passenger delays, possibly saving up to 5 billion euros ($4.7 billion) a year, by bringing the patchwork of national air traffic controllers under a single regulatory framework by the end of 2004.

"It makes no sense to have fragmented national systems," German Transport Minister Kurt Bodewig was quoted by The Associated Press as saying on Monday. "Europe needs a single sky."

The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, estimates that the current national system costs 5 billion euro ($4.7 billion) annually in extra fuel, airline staffing costs and lost passenger time.

The new radical scheme -- designed to boost capacity by 50 percent -- involves bringing all air traffic controllers under a unified supervision so that airlines can fly routes that are not defined by European borders.

But the unions are threatening strikes unless transport ministers back down.

"We see no reason to cancel the strikes," ATCEUC secretary Joel Cariou told Dow Jones Newswires after the ministers' decision. (Travellers' woes)

"We want a safe European sky, not just an economic one" as foreseen in the commission's plan.

The ATCEUC is an umbrella group of air traffic controllers that includes unions from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, the Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary.

Cariou added that the '"open skies" plan aimed to improve efficiency at the expense of safety. "When air traffic doubles, the risk of collision is squared," he said.

The unions also fear that the measures will lead to privatisation of air traffic control and job losses.

Gilles Gantelet, a commission transport spokesman told AP: "This is a misunderstanding."

"We're not calling for privatisation."

National governments will continue to decide who provides air traffic services on their territory, and will take the lead in proposing the local reorganisation of air traffic control, he added.

The Single Sky Committee, a new EU regulatory body, will draw up common standards for organisations that provide air navigation services, including weather reports, communications and aeronautical.

A number of EU countries, including France, Portugal and Greece also have reservations about the idea of giving up national sovereignty over their air space and further discussions are planned on the issue.

Italian travellers are set to struggle making journeys within their borders with trains, local transport and ferry industries being affected.

The country's railway stationmasters will carry out two days of strike action in June and July in a protest at government plans to alter workers' rights.

While ferry and other maritime workers plan to strike in July over government intentions to ease labour laws.