Two-hour Strike Delays Flights at Beirut Airport
Air traffic at Rafik Hariri International Airport was suspended for two hours on Tuesday in support of the demands of the public sector employees, delaying over a dozen arriving and departing flights, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The two-hour suspension came in light of the decision of the air traffic controllers committee to back the demands of the Syndicate Coordination Committee for the approval of the controversial pay hike.
Despite the stoppage and a similar strike and protest held by the SCC, the parliament failed to approve the wage scale over lack of quorum.
The different parliamentary blocs have expressed their support for the employees' demands but have warned that raising taxes to pay the scale would have catastrophic consequences.
NNA said seven arriving and eight departing flights were delayed because of the work stoppage which started at 11:00 am.
The SCC, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, has been demanding a 121 percent increase in salaries.
But a ministerial-parliamentary committee has proposed to reduce the total funding from LL2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) to LL1.8 trillion ($1.2 billion) over fears of economic collapse.
The SCC is also at loggerheads with Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, who is insisting to hold the official exams that are scheduled to start on Thursday despite the teachers' boycott.
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