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Egypt

Egyptian army calls for end of strikes

Egypt's military government called for an end to widespread strikes on Monday as protesters demanded better working conditions and pay. The Supreme Council for the Armed Forces did not ban strikes outright, but strongly criticised the striking workers.

REUTERS
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"Honourable citizens can see that protests at this critical time will have a negative effect in harming the security of the country," the army's spokesperson said, adding the strikes disrupted the ability to provide for the country's needs.

02:53

From our correspondent: workers strike in Egypt

Daniel Finnan

The uprising that ended the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak has splintered into pay strikes by workers in the banking, transport, health care, oil, tourism and textiles sectors, as well as state-owned media and government bodies.

"It's difficult to say exactly how many people are striking and where," said Kamal Abbas of the Centre for Trade Union and Workers' Services.

Many of the strikes were aimed at removing corrupt union leaders tied to Mubarak, he said.

Striking health sector workers said they blocked the entrance to the Ministry of Health in protest at its relationship with Mubarak's favoured drug companies.

One demonstrator told RFI they were upset about money being funnelled directly to the

Ashraf Bayoumi, head of the Central Administration for Pharmaceutical Affairs, and Hatem El-gabali, Mubarak's former health minister.

"The money should go to the Ministry of Finance, to the people," he said. "But instead, they split the money between themselves and their associates."

It was not yet clear if the people would heed the army's call to end the strikes, RFI's reporter Daniel Finnan says.

"The 25 January uprising has certainly emboldened their demands for better working conditions," he says.

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