Railway drivers are assembling tomorrow Thursday, around 12 noon, in Misr Station, Ramses, while representatives from the Railway Authorities, the state-backed Railway Union, and the independent Railway Drivers’ Association will convene to discuss the drivers’ bonuses.
The drivers have been demanding an increase in Hafez el-Kilo (The “Kilo Incentives”), from 11 Piasters to 25 Piasters. The bonus is a function of how many kilometers the train drivers complete in their daily journeys.
The state backed union officials had tried to diffuse the situation, by bringing a government offer to the drivers for a 15% increase only. The offer was rejected, and once again the “Associations” stepped in.
Around 100 railway drivers held a meeting yesterday in the Railway Club, and agreed negotiations with the Railway Authorities should be conducted via the independent Railway Association leaders, not the state-backed union officials. Representatives from the Association will take part in tomorrow’s morning meeting, mentioned above. Other drivers will descend on Ramses around noon. A labor source told me the govt is expected to make a compromise or extend the negotiations, but there is a fighting mood, which could translate into a strike on 25 November.
In related news, industrial safety technicians on temporary contracts are staging a sit-in tomorrow also in Misr Station, against privatization of their service.
Wherever you go on this filthy planet you can be sure of one thing, when trade unionists on the railways do things right they do it very right. They are generally heroes.