Spain declares emergency to beat off wildcat air strike

MADRID - The Spanish government Saturday decreed a state of emergency, in an attempt to force air controllers staging a wildcat work protest to return to work immediately.

If the air controllers refused, they would face being prosecuted for disobedience under military law, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said.

The government has already placed airports under military control Friday, after 70 percent of air controllers left their posts or did not show up for work. The protest left hundreds of thousands of air passengers stranded.