While teachers and doctors decided to temporarily suspend their ongoing strikes, public transportation drivers continue their sit-in, Reem Leila reports Striking teachers and doctors have temporarily suspended their sit-ins which were blocking streets to the People's Assembly on Saturday, pressing for a variety of demands. Bus drivers, however, refused to suspend their strikes. Their actions, says Al-Ahram analyst Amr El-Shobaki, is symptomatic of the public's growing distrust of the government. "Following the 25 January Revolution people expected their lives to change for the better. Now they feel disappointed," he says. The authorities appear to lack any clear plans to steer the country towards greater prosperity and in the absence of major reforms, El-Shobaki argues, people are pressing their own demands. "The interim period is being mishandled by officials who feel lost. European countries that faced similar conditions moved from the stage in which Egypt finds itself much more quickly. The government could have done a great deal in the last eight months." "People must be patient," say El-Shobaki. But at the same time the government needs to display far greater competence. "It needs to tell the public exactly what they can expect during the interim period, and clearly explain why." After drivers of the Public Transportation Authority (PTA) had suspended on Tuesday their sit-in for two weeks following 10 days of continuous strikes, they decided to continue striking yesterday. Before the drivers decided to continue their sit-in Minister of Manpower Ahmed El-Borai, Cairo Governor Abdel-Qawi Khalifa, and head of the PTA Mona Mustafa had agreed to meet with strikers on 10 October maximum to discuss salary raises. Representatives of the Ministry of Finance said they would be attending the meeting to discuss the raises that would cost the Finance Ministry LE138 million. Based on the drivers' continuing sit-in, El-Borai freezed negotiations with strikers. Earlier, and after failing to reach any agreement with the PTA, the partial sit-in of bus drivers that began on 17 September developed into a fully-fledged strike. Drivers at 24 garages, serving more than 2,500 buses, halted work on 25 September. Ten drivers announced they would begin a hunger strike. Bus drivers are demanding the PTA make good on government promises to increase monthly salaries, which range from LE200 to LE400, by 200 per cent. They are also pressing for the dismissal of senior management appointed by the Mubarak regime and for the bus fleet to be upgraded. Mustafa Masoud, a driver based at the Badr garage in Al-Mounib, says that less than 70 per cent of the existing fleet currently functions. The strike, which began at the Mazallat garage, quickly spread. The public transportation sector employs more than 40,000 workers who have been demanding a pay increase since 2007. Mohamed Abdel-Sattar, secretary-general of the General Union of Independent Public Transport Workers says the bus drivers will continue strike action until their demands are met. "We are asking Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to take serious steps to resolve problems that have been ignored for decades." The PTA is estimated to be losing LE5 million per day as a result of the strike. Yet according to PTA deputy head Hisham Attia, the authority is in no position to fulfil the drivers' demands. "All I can promise is to send their requests to the government. It is up to the government to address the problems. Quite simply, the PTA does not have the budget to increase the salaries of thousands of workers and drivers. They must be patient and wait at least until the beginning of the new fiscal year." Unlike the bus drivers, teachers have opted to suspend industrial action for a week on the recommendation of Hassan Ahmed, the head of the Independent Teachers' Syndicate. "The prime minister has promised to review our demands during Sunday's cabinet meeting," says Ahmed. "We have decided to wait and see what they come up with. If nothing is done we will resume the sit-in." Last week thousands of striking school teachers protested in front of the cabinet headquarters demanding better pay and working conditions and the dismissal of Minister of Education Ahmed Gamal El-Din Moussa. The Ministry of Education issued a press release stating only 3.04 per cent of schools were affected by the strike. The figure is contested by the Independent Teachers' Syndicate which insists 80 per cent of schools have joined. "My net salary is just LE287. If they want to sack me they can do it. I am already making peanuts and can survive without them," says primary school teacher Reda Mohamed. School teachers began their nationwide action on 17 September, the beginning of the academic year. They are seeking a minimum salary of LE3,000. Doctors, meanwhile, want to see the Health Ministry's share of the government budget increase from 3.5 to 15 per cent. They are also demanding better security at hospitals, a complete overhaul of salary structures, and the upgrade of both equipment and training. They, too, want to see the minister of health, Amr Helmi, step down. According to Hisham Sheha, head of the Ministry of Health's Central Department for Medical Treatment, a majority of hospitals are functioning normally. "Surgical procedures and medical examinations are being conducted according to schedule. The ministry is providing mobile clinics to cover any shortfall in medical services," said Sheha. In related news, on 25 September 1,000 temporary and appointed workers and new graduates from the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University demonstrated in front of the Supreme Council of Archeology (SCA) demanding better working conditions and, in the case of fresh graduates, jobs.
