The Daily News Egypt reported on Tuesday 15 February about continuing working-class action on Monday 14 February.
About 300 workers from different sectors and governorates demonstrated Monday in front of the Egyptian Trade Unions Federation (ETUF) building in Cairo. They said the federation board was illegitimate and thus wanted to secure its funds and documents.
They were attacked by men in the building who threw glass bottles and rocks at the protesters. Two soldiers from the military police arrive and arrested the men at the building who were seen with wounded faces.
The two soldiers didn’t disperse the demonstration but asked them to open the road for traffic. Protesters divided themselves into two groups to protest on either side of the road.
Soldiers cleared out almost all the remaining demonstrators from Cairo's Tahrir Square, the giant traffic circle that was turned into a protest camp headquarters for the 18-day revolt. During more than two weeks of round-the-clock demonstrations at the square, protesters set up tents, brought in blankets, operated medical clinics and festooned the entire plaza with giant banners demanding removal of the regime....
Outside the Nile-side TV and state radio building, hundreds of public transportation workers demonstrated to demand better pay. Several hundred protesters from the state Youth and Sports Organization also protested Monday with similar demands in Tahrir after the military had moved the long-term protesters out.
Across the Nile River in the Giza district, hundreds of ambulance drivers demonstrated, also to demand better pay and permanent jobs. They parked at least 70 ambulances on a roadside along the river, but did not block the main road.
In downtown Cairo, hundreds of police demonstrated for a second day for better pay. They also want to clear their reputation, further tarnished by the deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. Some carried portraits of policemen killed in the clashes.
"These are victims of the regime too," declared one placard.
"It's hard for us to go back to work because people hate us," said one protester, a captain who was among the demonstrators. "An official funeral must be held for our martyrs."
Several hundred unemployed archaeology graduates demonstrated outside the Supreme Council for Antiquities in the upscale district of Zamalek, demanding jobs.
Alaa Ashour, head of the country's national carrier, EgyptAir, was removed by the civil aviation minister after workers went on strike at Cairo International Airport. Ashour, also described by airport officials as Mubarak's pilot on international trips, was removed late Sunday after workers called for more perks and pay.
Even so, the protests continued Monday in other subsidiaries of EgyptAir's parent company, as well as workers at companies that provide support services to the airline.
Reflecting the continuing downturn in travel from Egypt, EgyptAir said it had organized only 31 international flights and 12 domestic flights for Monday. The carrier generally has about 145 scheduled flights per day.
The Central Bank of Egypt ordered banks across the country closed following a strike by employees of the National Bank, the largest state bank, and several other financial institutions. Tuesday is a national holiday in Egypt to mark the birth of Islam's 7th century Prophet Mohamed. The banks are scheduled to reopen Wednesday.
The Daily News reckons that:
"The statement by the ruling military council [on Monday 14 February, calling for strikers to return to work] appeared to be a final warning to protest organizers in labor and professional unions before the army intervenes and imposes an outright ban on gatherings, strikes and sit-ins".
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