The Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) has put the final touches on a May Day celebration that will be attended by President Hosni Mubarak, alongside ministers, senior officials and workers, at the Nasr City Conference Center this Thursday. Up to 2400 workers are expected to attend the ceremony, with trade unions each selecting 100 of their members to attend, informed sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm. Workers have been given strict instructions not to interrupt Mubarak frequently while delivering his speech, and to avoid haphazard cheering, since the president is still recovering from surgery in Germany on 6 March. Mubarak is scheduled to meet with labor leaders before the celebration, even though some expected the meeting to be called off, the source said. The meeting will not exceed ten minutes and will be organized in such a way that Mubarak will not be confronted with too many requests or problems, said the source, adding that labor leaders will present Mubarak with a gift. The Minister of Manpower and Migration and the President of the ETUF will both deliver brief speeches and Mubarak will then speak to the workers and others attending the celebration, and honor ten senior syndicate members and two officials from the Ministry of Manpower. ETUF President Hussein Megawer said two days ago in a meeting with labor leaders that Mubarak is keen to attend the celebration and that his attendance is a source of hope for the workers. Megawer also said the ETUF will hold a meeting today with Minister of Finance Youssef Boutros-Ghali to discuss the bill on social insurance and pensions. According to Megawar, the ETUF insists on raising the minimum wage by at least LE30 a day, the equivalent of a LE900 a month increase. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
