On 10 February, one day before Mubarak was forced from office, thousands of public transport workers went on strike
The independent syndicate of workers in the Public Transport Authority has said it will organise a strike on Sunday 28 August.
The strike, which will affect all official bus services in Egypt, has been called to protest against alleged corruption in the authority and demand worker receive 200 per cent bonuses like those enjoyed by civil servants.
The syndicate is asking for an end to what it says are premiums given to police support staff, which are taken from the authority’s budget, in addition to bonuses for advisors which reach LE750,000 (US$125.4) a month.
“Those primes and bonus are a waste of the authority's wealth -- workers deserve this money more,” said Ali Fatouh, head of the independent syndicate.
The workers of one of Cairo’s garages began a strike today after a 5 per cent pay cut was imposed on all their salaries. The cuts varied between LE8 ($1.3), the price of one and half kilo of sugar, and LE15 ($2.4) per month.
On 10 February, one day before Mubarak was forced from office, thousands of public transport workers went on strike demanding better pay and working conditions
The workers had a long list of demands related to their salaries and working conditions, but also expressed solidarity with the protestors on Tahrir Square and their demands, including the removal of Mubarak and changes to the constitution.
Some transport workers who have served for more than 15 years still receive monthly salaries of less than LE500 ($83.60), say activists. In many cases, the basic salary from which annual increases, pensions and insurance are calculated is less than LE200 ($33.40).
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