Thousands of employees from the Justice Ministry's Notary offices around Egypt went on strike Wednesday to protest the delay in the payment of their monthly bonuses. They also called for their authority to be independent from the ministry. Tareq Azzouz, spokesperson for notary employees, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that around 480 offices nationwide are organizing an open strike until their bonuses, which constitute 400 percent of their base salaries, are paid. Azzouz said the employees have not received their bonuses for two months and accused the Finance Ministry of being slow to allocate the money. The employees threatened to stop issuing key documents for judicial purposes, parliamentary and presidential candidates, and the establishment of new political parties. He warned this would paralyze all state institutions. He added that the striking employees will head to the authority's headquarters in Cairo on Thursday to present their demands. Yasmeen Ragab, a notary employee in Cairo, said the registry employs 9000 people whose livelihood depends mainly on their bonuses. Mahmoud Youssef, another employee from Helwan, said the strike will continue until the authority becomes independent of the Justice Ministry. The employees accused the justice minister of using the notary's social and healthcare fund to pay large allowances to the judges and advisers who participated in the referendum on constitutional amendments. They further accused the head of their authority of giving preferential treatment to employees in central branches and governorate capitals. Translated from the Arabic Edition
