Photographer Amr Abdallah managed to take some photos of the strike by drivers, bus clerks, and maintenance workers of the Public Transportation Authorities in Nasr City on Wednesday.
Amr was not allowed into the station, which was under the police siege. He managed to meet up with some of the strikers’ colleagues outside.
Public Transportation Authorities workers suspended their strike in Cairo today after a compromise agreement was reached with the government.
State Security agents, accompanied by an Assistant to the Interior Minister, met with the strikers in Nasr City Stations (Fateh and Nasr), at 4am today to tell them that the government agreed to raise their percentage of ticket sales from 2.5% to 6% (the workers were initially demanding 10%). This means out of each LE1 bus ticket, the workers (including drivers, ticket collectors and maintenance workers) will receive 6 Piasters. The security officials also told the workers that the government has decided to allocate LE13 millions in the new July budget to implement all the rest of the strikers’ demands.
The workers accepted the compromise, and public buses started moving again in Nasr City around 5:30am.
Two hours later, the drivers and workers in Cairo’s other stations (Sawwah, Amiriya and Gesr el-Suez) went on strike demanding the same gains their Nasr City brethren had received. The strike lasted till 10:30am, and was only suspended after security officials assured the workers that the agreement applies to them too.
And in Ramses Underground Metro Station, around 30 cashiers and supervisors staged a sit-in today, demanding:
1-Increasing their bonuses, and basing the increase on the job ranking, not the “mood” of the management, as the workers put it.
2-Receiving allowances for working on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays), similar to what state employees in other industries get.
3-Receiving hazards allowances, since the cashiers deal daily with millions of dirty banknotes they receive from the citizens.
4-Receiving a percentage of the ticket sales.
5-Receiving part of the income generated by the advertisements put up in undgerground metro stations. (Apparently this used to be the case, but the government stopped this practice.)
Some of the photos I took of the sit-in could be found in this Flickr set.
And here’s a short video clip:
I left the Ramses Station around 1pm, and the negotiations were still going on. I’ll try to update the posting later with more details.
The Public Transportation workers strike in Nasr City was suspended 4am today. No more details are available yet. I’m receiving news also that industrial action has begun this morning in el-Amiriya and Sawwah Stations, but I still don’t have details either.
I just came back now from Ramses Sq, where around 30 Underground Metro cashiers, supervisors and employees have started a sit-in this morning, over work conditions.
I’m gonna post more details later in the evening.