CAIRO: Egypt's Red Sea resort port of Ain al-Sokhna and the workers strike there entered its fifth day on Thursday with the complete halting on all operations as the workers try to pressure the Dubai port company to respond to their demands. One source in the port said the strike's losses reached $50 million, according to the estimation of the Red Sea Port Committee. The financial loses counted the income of the port and the losses of the importers/exporters who had to move their ships elsewhere as a result of the shutdown. The problem arose when the Dubai port company refused to pay a 10 percent profit bonus for the workers and negotiations with the Dubai company were continuing for the past five months without result. The workers also want a hazard allowance equal to other workers at other Egyptian ports, such as the Port Said port where workers receive 30 percent of their pay check additional for hazard pay. The last session of talks between representatives of the workers and the company was last Thursday. The Dubai company has had a sum of $85 million from 2008 to 2010 from the port. The company offered the workers 150 Egyptian pounds as a hazard allowance, which the workers turned down, saying that other companies pay 900 to a 1000 pounds. According to sources inside the port, the workers flew the Egyptian flags on every fork lift and heavy machinery and declared a strike last Thursday. The Egyptian army, who usually intervenes by immediately attempting to break the strike has yet to pressure the workers to end it and has surprisingly remained neutral over the matter. Around 1200 workers are currently on strike at the port. The port management reportedly offered the workers 10 months of a profit-share, but the worker insisted they get the whole 19 months or the strike remains. A source at the port said the workers told the army, who were reportedly trying to convince the workers to accept any deal, that they would be willing to donate five months of their salary if the Egyptian army stop receiving aid money from the US. The army representative walked away in silence, according to the source. Following the signing of the peace treaty with Israel 30 years ago, Egypt receives $2.1 billion in aid annually, of which $815 million goes to economic aid and $1.3 billion to military aid. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/IzJKW Tags: Ain Sokhna, Dubai, featured, Port, Strike Section: Business, Egypt, Latest News
