Striking air traffic controllers arrested

Nine Ethiopian air traffic controllers alleged to be leading a week-long work boycott have been arrested. A report on the allAfrica site notes that police deputy commissioner Tekolla Ayfokiru said the detainees were preventing international flights from landing at the Bole International Airport, Ethiopia's busiest hub. The controllers downed their tools on 25 August demanding a salary increase, improved working conditions and pay for working overtime. The employer, the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, termed the strike as illegal and later said a salary review was ongoing. Following the strike, the Kenya Air Traffickers Controllers Association raised concerns about the safety of Ethiopia airspace, saying that ‘aircraft operating in and out of Addis Ababa are in grave danger as the situation continues to deteriorate’.

Full report on the allAfrica site