Renewed protests hit Egyptian Museum
Temporary employees picket the museum's main entrance in a drive to ensure the antiquities council's promise of permanent contracts is finally met
Nevine El-Aref , Sunday 2 Oct 2011
Around two hundred temporary employees of the Supreme Council of the Antiquities (SCA) are picketing the front entrance of the Egyptian Museum demanding the quick fulfillment of promises made by their bosses.
Newly-appointed SCA secretary general Mostafa Amine earlier on Sunday agreed to grant permanent contracts to temporary employees.
But two hours after his meeting with protesters they were demonstrating once again in front of Cairo's main antiquities collection to ensure Amine's pledge is swiftly implemented.
One protester, Mahmoud Ahmed Meselha, told Ahram Online that temporary workers had resumed their protest because they did not believe the promises that had been made.
"For the last three months the three previous secretary generals have all promised to appoint us but they never did because of a shortfall in the SCA’s budget,” Meselha said.
An employee at the Egyptian Museum who requested anonymity said that protestors had chosen the front entrance to make a strong statement of their presence to Amine and were giving him a week to meet his promise.
Amine has said that he will follow through on his pledge.
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