CAIRO: The Ministry of Culture assigned Monday two committees to examine the demands of the Alexandria Opera employees, who have ended their 36-day strike. The committees, which were formed after a delegation of the employees met the minister on Dec. 21, would discuss all their demands with one tasked solely with examining the financial demands. Last Wednesday, representatives from the Alexandria Opera House met with the minister to discuss their demands and explain their working system in exchange for ending the strike. The employees want the redistribution of the system of rewards and bonuses and to receive the same treatment as their counterparts at the Cairo Opera House. They also want those working on temporary contracts to sign permanent ones. “Alexandria Opera House is treated worse than the one in Damanhour. My job description does not compare to the one in Cairo at all, I cannot even ask for a cross functional training,” said Rodayna Sami, a public relations officer at the Alexandria Opera House. The ministry said Monday that former Minister of Culture Imad Abu Ghazi and the current minister Shakir Abdel-Hamid have asked the employees to end the strike to give the government a chance to look into their demands. However, the strikers didn't respond until they secured a meeting with Abdel-Hamid who allegedly told them their demands were legitimate. “The minister asked us to prove our good intention by ending the strike and so we did. Now we are waiting to see what will happen within a month,” said Sami, who commended the swift action by Abdel-Hamid. “He also assigned Dr Abdel Moneim Kamel, head of the Egypt's Opera House Authority, to study these demands. [Abdel Moneim] promised us that all these demands will be met,” Sami added. The strike had included all 140 employees included the interim manager, she added. According to the ministry, the Alexandria Opera House will resume operations this Sunday.
