CAIRO - Up to 2,000 workers in the Abu-Zabaal railway mechanical workshops, north Cairo, went on strike seeking a hike in their incentives, which they said were not distributed on a fair basis among all workers. An engineer receives a monthly incentive of LE300 ($50.97), while a worker gets LE30 to LE40, said some workers who accused their officials of “favouritism” and corruption. “They even sell the workshops scrap and distribute revenues among themselves,” they claimed. Workshops Manager Moustafa Wahba locked himself in his office after he failed to convince the workers to end the strike, according to eyewitness. Mohamed Abdul Galil, a trade unionist fell unconscious and was taken to hospital. The January 25 revolution that ended three decades of Mubarak's rule, have unleashed a wave of wildcat strikes at various ministries, institutions and factories. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, ruling the country after Mubarak's ouster, acknowledged people's suffering, but noted that the result of the strikes would be “disastrous”. “People have the right to protest and organise strikes, but [such actions] are not suitable under the present circumstances,” it added in a statement. Meanwhile, hundreds of contemporary teachers yesterday gathered at the Ministry of Education headquarters seeking a decision from the new Minister Ahmed Gamal-Eddin Moussa to appoint them. Following two weeks of protests, the “temporary” teachers, threatened they would launch an open sit-in until they receive a response to their demands.
