Railway transport in Egypt was stalled on Thursday as conductors staged a protest calling for equality with workers in other transport sectors concerning the 30 percent bonus approved by the Ministry of Transport. The protesters demanded an investigation into the LE130,000 incentive obtained by senior officials at the Egyptian Railways Authority, saying that the official sum they received from the transport minister stands at only LE10,000. Meanwhile, more than 600 workers at metro maintenance workshops in Tora, south of Cairo, prevented metro trains from stopping at that station, demanding permanent instead of temporary job contracts. A number of sectors overseen by the Transport Ministry have started to collect the contracts of employees who have held their positions for over three years, in a attempt to make them permanent. Karim Abul Kheir, chairman of the River Transport Authority, said the minister has agreed to create contracts for 218 workers. A similar move is to be taken by Egypt Railways, according to its chief, Mustafa Qenawy, who said the process will take 15 days.
