Egypt posts record EGP629b primary surplus in 2024/25    EGP swings vs. USD in early Sunday trade    EGX launches 1st phone app    Egypt achieves record primary budget surplus of EGP 629bn despite sharp fall in Suez Canal revenues    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Resumption of production at El Nasr marks strategic step towards localising automotive industry: El-Shimy    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    United Bank achieves EGP 1.51bn net profit in H1 2025, up 26.9% year-on-year    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Jordan condemns Israeli PM remarks on 'Greater Israel'    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, bilateral ties in calls with Saudi, South African counterparts    Egypt prepares to tackle seasonal air pollution in Nile Delta    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt, Colombia discuss medical support for Palestinians injured in Gaza    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Egyptians protest over minimum wages
Published in The Egyptian Gazette on 02 - 05 - 2010

Protesters clamoured for a boost to Egypt's minimum wage on Sunday, the latest in a series of demonstrations demanding help for millions of poor Egyptians and greater political freedom in a tightly controlled nation.
At least 500 protesters from labour unions, state workers and opposition groups gathered at Egypt's cabinet building a day after world Workers' Day, demanding a rise in the minimum wage which has been set at 35 pounds a month since 1984.
Analysts have been watching to see if a spate of recent protests, still small by world standards, can gain the momentum and broader support to challenge a political landscape dominated for almost three decades by President Hosni Mubarak.
In practice, minimum-wage workers get around $18 a month, but protesters are demanding the government implement a court order that would boost the figure and help millions of poor in the Arab world's most populous nation cope with rising prices.
For many in Egypt, where UN figures put gross domestic product per capita at $1,780, the call for political change may be secondary to more basic demands for better income and jobs.
Egypt's economy has grown robustly in recent years, but many people say only the wealthy have benefited. After the world food crisis in 2007-08, which triggered bread shortages and protests, inflation has eased. But workers say their problems endure.
"Prices are rising and workers' wages are declining. Meat has become a luxury item that most of us cannot afford," said Hisham Oakal, a worker at a factory in Egypt's Nile Delta.
In central Cairo on Sunday, protesters, girded by hundreds of members of security forces, chanted "We need wages that are enough for a month!" and called for an end to Mubarak's rule.
Worker protests have grown more frequent, rising from 97 in 2002 to 742 in 2009, the Land Centre for Human Rights reports.
Despite their limited support from Egypt's giant workforce, some political analysts say such protests could spawn new alliances and create more of a political challenge ahead of upcoming elections.
"This is why coordinated protests over one unified goal, raising the minimum wage, has the potential to galvanise disparate groups across sectors," analyst Ahmed Naggar said.
Investment Minister Mahmoud Mohieldin has said labour protests do not pose a risk to local or foreign investment since they are focused on wage and contract demands at specific firms rather than a more broad nationwide movement.


Clic here to read the story from its source.