• 12:18
  • Wednesday ,26 February 2014
العربية

Cairo governor: 1,200 minibuses to cover for transport workers' strike

By-Ahram

Home News

00:02

Wednesday ,26 February 2014

Cairo governor: 1,200 minibuses to cover for transport workers' strike

Cairo Governor Galal El-Saeed said the city’s authorities will provide 1,200 minibuses as of early Tuesday morning and until the public transportation workers end their strike.

Saeed said minibuses will work double shifts, without increase in fare, to reach 20 hours in order to cover most of the day and compensate for the halted public transportation service.
 
Public transport workers have been on strike for four days to demand higher wages and better conditions for the buses.
 
All 28 Greater Cairo garages are currently on strike, taking a toll on daily revenues worth some LE800,000 ($115,000) for the Public Transport Authority, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported on Sunday.
 
Early on Monday, the finance minister approved the allocation of some LE15.2 million for the state's Public Transport Authority to meet its demands. Workers rejected the offer.
 
Public transport's 42,000 workers receive between LE600 ($86) and LE1400 ($200) in wages.
 
Egypt's ailing economy has been grappling with a spate of labour strikes across multiple sectors that include textile workers, physicians, postal workers, public transport workers, and low-ranking police officers.
 
Disgruntled workers have been clamouring for better pay and working conditions and say the government has done little to meet their longtime demands or implement the recently passed minimum wage for public sector workers.