Low-ranking police officers on Monday ended a six-hour strike at Cairo International Airport, during which they demanded improved work conditions. A security source said the strike ended after the strikers met with Salah Ziada, the deputy interior minister for Cairo airport security, the German news agency DPA reported. Many institutes in Egypt are responsible for training and graduating low-ranking officers. Only the Police Academy, though, can graduate officers as captains, who are then capable of ascending to higher ranks. Low-ranking policemen cannot be promoted to become high-ranking officers, and they receive low paychecks and fewer privileges. The source said Ziada promised to response to demands such as the right to medical treatment at the Nasr City hospital designated for high-ranking officers, putting into effect a statute for promotion, and designating housing projects for officers in 6th of October City. The low-ranking policemen succeeded in avoiding repercussions of the strike as other officers covered for them. Also, planes and passenger movement were not affected, the source said.
