The General Syndicate for Public Utilities Workers and the Services Association at the Ministry of Electricity and Energy is developing internal plans for fighting the spread of swine flu among its members, a syndicate leader announced in Alexandria yesterday. THe first move was a decision to cancel pilgrimage trips for staff of both the syndicated and the Services Assocation this year in an effort to protect Egyptian pilgrims from swine flu. Both based their decision on World Health Organization warnings of potential increases in the disease's morbidity during winter. "We have cancelled pilgrimage trips for more than 1000 staff members so as to achieve maximum protection for workers and their families both at home or at work after their return," said head of the syndicate Mohamed Morsy at a board meeting in Alexandria yesterday. Morsy said that unions and syndicates have an important role to play in preventing their members from contracting the flu. "The syndicate has decided to convene an extensive meeting next week for all syndicates affiliated with the electricity sector at Electricity Hospital in Almaza," Morsy said. The meeting will be chaired by director of the Electricity Holding Company and attended by company managers, syndicate committee members, and health experts who will together try to devise a plan to counter the swine flu, he said. Representatives from workers' syndicates in ten lower Egyptian governorates will meet in Alexandria today to discuss preventing the flu in work places and among families of staff, Morsy added. Morsy also said that Cairo will host the general conference for the International Federation for Chemical, Energy, Mines and General Workers Unions, scheduled for 17 to 19 November. The meeting will discuss the perils encountered by workers amid increasing diseases, in addition to development issues. The conference will be attended by representatives of 185 syndicates from around the world, representing a total of 30 million members, according to Morsy. Ministers of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, Energy and Manpower, the president of the Egyptian Federation of Trade Unions, presidents of Petroleum, Chemicals and Mines Workers Syndicates will also be present, he said. To date, three people in Egypt have died from the swine flu. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
