Workers at Ben Gurion International Airport began a three-hour strike Thursday morning.
Check-in counters closed down and passengers were unable to proceed to aircraft as a result.
The strike, set to begin at 11 am, actually began at 10:30 am so that passengers’ baggage would not reach the security inspection area and get stuck in the middle of the system.
“Due to airport workers committee sanctions, the check-in process will be delayed. We apologize for the inconvenience,” passengers heard over the airport speakers. Thousands were unable to depart as scheduled.
The strike came as a solidarity gesture to support the workers of the Israel Postal company in their current work slowdown. The postal workers are in a deadlock with management in negotiations over the company’s recovery plan. The state is planning to lay off some 1,500 permanent workers from the postal system and replace them with temporary employees instead.