The accusations continue to cross between the Spanish and Catalan governments on the chaos at Barcelona's El Prat airport, as a result of the strike by security control staff. From Spain's Ministry of Public Works & Transport (Fomento), they assure that the airport operator Aena has not withdrawn at any moment from the conflict, but quite the opposite. From the Catalan government, they not only criticise the absence of the Spanish state, but even denounce it as colonial treatment.
"Aena is not acting too late, it has been involved from the beginning of the conflict," said Julio Gómez-Pomar, Secretary of State for Public Works & Transport. In declarations from the same airport this Sunday morning, Gómez-Pomar also considered "out of place" the demands made by the workers of the security firm, Eulen. According to the Spanish secretary, the demand for a salary increase of 30%, as the workers are asking, is "out of step and out of place". With regards this, he has called upon the employees to make "meaningful" and "reasonable" claims.
The Spanish secretary has said that the capacity of Aena to solve the conflict is "reduced" because it must be the management of the Eulen company and its workforce who have to reach an agreement. However, he assured that the Spanish airport operator will exert pressure to achieve an agreement between the two parties. Gómez-Pomar said that he does not know why the protest has taken place only at Barcelona's El Prat airport, when Eulen has concessions in 27 airports throughout Spain.
On behalf of the Catalan government, the Minister of Labour, Dolors Bassa, responded by recalling that the Catalan executive "has powers in mediation, nothing else", and that "all airport management is handled by Aena and the Spanish state". In fact, it was precisely the Department of Labour that was responsible for organising the mediation meetings since Friday. In an interview in RAC1, Bassa said that "the State are treating us like a colony".
"I think it is very good that they have come today, but they've arrived 14 days late," said Dolors Bassa. In addition, the minister said that when they detected conflicts at the airport more than a month ago, she - together with ministers from Territory and Interior - contacted the Spanish government in search of a solution. "We did not receive any answer," she said.
Bassa explained that, when the Eulen conflict arose, she personally called the office of the delegate of the Spanish government in Catalonia, Enric Millo. "They replied that Mr. Millo was on vacation, that his deputy was on vacation, too, and that the sub-delegate of Girona was in the position, but he didn't have powers to speak about the issue," the minister said. She wanted to reiterate that it was a tender of Aena. She also responded to the declarations of Xavier Garcia Albiol, affirming that "I am here, I am not on vacation".