Egyptian trucker drivers, who have now been on strike for ten consecutive days, have destroyed nine vehicles in the governorates of Sharqiya and Daqahliya. The vehicles belonged to fellow truckers who had refused to participate in the strike action. Police arrested 80 strikers for damaging property, while issuing warnings to the rest to bring their strike to an end. Transport Minister Alaa Fahmy, meanwhile, has refused to extend the 2012 deadline for trailer owners to apply safety upgrades to their vehicles. Drivers are demanding an extension of the deadline due to the high costs of the upgrades. In a related development, Osama Sultan, vice chairman of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, said that wholesale and retail commodity inventories in warehouses across the country were running low as a result of the ongoing strike. Federation member Amr Asfour, for his part, said that the transport of food commodities had been particularly affected by the strike. According to a member of the Egyptian Truckers Association, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the fate of the strike would be determined following the next meeting between strike leaders and the transport minister. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
