From US to Lebanon: Lessons learned from air traffic controllers' strike

2^min

In August 1981, 13,000 US air traffic controllers went on strike, demanding salary increases and a reduction in their work hours from 5 to 4 days per week.

They also complained about what they called difficult working conditions.

As a result of the strike, around 7,000 flights were canceled, completely disrupting air traffic in the United States.

This prompted then-US President Ronald Reagan to intervene personally, considering the air traffic shutdown due to the strike illegal.

Reagan gave the air traffic controllers a 48-hour ultimatum to end their strike and return to work, threatening to fire any controller who did not comply.

Indeed, after 48 hours, the US President carried out his threat.

The government fired 11,359 air traffic controllers who refused to return to work, going even further by ordering the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ban the rehiring of any of the dismissed controllers for life.

After 12 days of what many described as a harsh move by the US President, the FAA began accepting applications from new air traffic controllers.

Today in Lebanon, the situation is the same.

Ogero employees have been on strike for a week, controlling our telecommunication and taking us, along with the entire country, hostage to achieve their demands.

The majority of employees in Ogero are nothing but political favors for this party or that, as admitted by the Director General of Ogero himself.

However, will the Director General of Ogero take the opportunity to take a reformist step by dismissing every employee affiliated with any political party that contributed to the shutdown of the entire sector and caused the institution to incur unbearable losses? Or is pleasing specific individuals more important than the public interest?

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