CAIRO: Striking teachers called for a million-man march to the Cabinet of Ministers on Saturday to protest government's inaction to their demands, the Independent Teachers Union said on Tuesday School teachers said more schools have joined the strike, which continued for the fourth day Tuesday. All schools in North and South Sinai are on strike, and schools in Ismailia and El-Wadi El-Gedid have joined. Twenty-five teachers went on hunger strike in Gharbiya. Pamphlets were distributed to schools in El-Mahalla El-Kobra city warning teachers that strike action could lead to a three-month prison sentence, citing a recent law criminalizing strikes, the Socialist Studies Center said. A teacher was reportedly arrested in Fayoum, igniting protests by his colleagues. Unconfirmed news about meeting one of the strikers' demands — salary increases — had little effect on their decisions. Local newspapers reported Tuesday that the Ministry of Finance is considering increasing the teachers' compensation and salaries. When contacted by Daily News Egypt, ministry officials declined to confirm or deny the news, saying they have no further information. Meanwhile strikes were on the rise spreading geographically and across sectors. Doctors in the Beni Suef public hospitals are on a complete strike as well as nurses and workers in Banha University Hospital, the Socialist Studies Center said. Workers at the Egyptian-Italian Company for Containers continued a sit-in that led the company's president to fire eight of them. Meanwhile, workers at the Olympic Group continued their sit-in for the fourth day Tuesday, demanding 1 percent of the value of the factory after 52 percent of the factory was sold to Swedish owners.
