Air controllers end their week-long go-slow with none of their demands met, reports Amirah Ibrahim Air traffic controllers ended their week-long work to rule following the intervention of President Hosni Mubarak in the dispute. Mubarak had requested that the controllers end the action which had affected eight airports. The industrial action was in protest against low levels of compensation for the health hazards that come with the job and against salaries that, the controllers said, were lower than those in other Arab countries that are "poorer" than Egypt. After failing to get any response from the aviation authorities, the protesters petitioned the president. They further requested guarantees that they would return to their homes "safely". Mubarak replied, telling them "not to worry" and to "immediately" end their sit-in. "The aviation minister and his assistants refused to listen to us, or even negotiate our demands. Now our voices have been heard by the president, the highest authority in the country, and that is something they cannot ignore," said one of the protesters. General Ahmed Said, chairman of the Air Navigation Company, said that with all due respect to the president the "employees need to understand that we do not have a magic wand and we won't succumb to pressure. Their demands will be met within available resources." The go-slow started at Cairo International Airport on 10 March when 300 controllers submitted a list of demands to the aviation authorities and the management of the holding navigation company, including a 100 per cent increase in salaries. They also requested that the government make up an estimated LE2.5 million shortfall in their pension funds. "Less qualified air controllers in countries that are much poorer than Egypt earn much more than us," said a senior controller at Cairo airport who requested anonymity. He explained that in Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia controllers are paid an average of $4,000 per month, while in Sudan they are paid a similar sum by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Young air traffic controllers complain of the lack of job security. Temporary contracts are increasingly used, with a clause that allows employers to terminate the contract at any time. How, asked one young controller employed for two years at Hurghada airport on temporary contracts, can he be expected to ensure the safety of hundreds of passengers every day when his own family's livelihood is so insecure. At Taba airport another young employee was outraged by briefings from senior aviation officials stating that controllers were paid salaries starting at LE5,000. The LE700 he actually receives barely covers monthly expenses and leaves no room for savings. "I am not sure I will ever have enough money to get married," he said. Older employees have their own worries. One senior controller told Al-Ahram Weekly that, after working 32 years, he was not certain by the time he retires he "will have enough money to support old age or any sickness that might arise". Medical provision was another source of complaint. The controllers' medical insurance restricts them to treatment at the Cairo-based EgyptAir Hospital, and is, they say, far inferior to the health care provided for pilots. According to Air Controller Union head Magdi Abdel-Hadi, the union has asked the authorities to make a deal with a private medical insurance company to provide appropriate services but their demand was turned down. "Our job has many health hazards and we are ready to pay more to ensure that we receive adequate treatment," he said. Last March the union submitted a similar list of demands to authorities. "All we got was an annual increase ranging between LE150 to LE300," said Abdel-Hadi. The industrial action resulted in delays at several airports. At Luxor airport seven flights were held up while two others were diverted to Cairo airport. Officials at the national carrier have refused to comment on how much money EgyptAir lost due to the sit-in though according to sources close to the company the figure might be as high as $180,000 a day.
