ITF welcomes progress in Egyptair dispute

September 12, 2012

Substantial progress has been made in an ongoing dispute at Egyptair, thanks to the ITF’s intervention on 7 September, when police and security guards reportedly failed to protect striking cabin crew members at Cairo Airport.  

The intervention immediately prompted Egyptian civil aviation minister Samir Imbaby to call a meeting with Egyptair management and the crew’s union, the ITF-affiliated Cabin Crew Syndicate of Egypt. This resulted in a return to work while negotiations between the airline and the workers continue. In a letter to the ITF, the minister expressed “sincere appreciation and gratitude for the important role played by the ITF” and pledged his personal commitment to seeing the dispute resolved.

Responding to these positive developments, ITF general secretary David Cockroft said: “The good news is that negotiations are now once again in progress and the strike is therefore suspended. We hope that these will settle the outstanding issues that led to the dispute.”

He continued: “We have received a prompt and sensible response from the Egyptian government addressing our concerns, and I would like to express our gratitude to Egypt’s civil aviation minister, Samir Imbaby, for his quick actions.”

The dispute centres on long-standing concerns over working conditions and salaries.