Egypte : le maréchal Tantaoui, nouveau pharaon d’Egypte prétend interdire les grèves ouvrières mais l’Egypte entière est en train de se mettre en grève. Il veut manipuler les soldats contre le peuple travailleur mais il faut que les soldats, eux aussi, entrent en grève...

As labor strikes continued, the Egyptian Trade Unions Federation (ETUF) said Sunday that it will schedule a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to discuss labor problems and the future of syndicate activity in Egypt.

The ETUF board members agreed in their emergency meeting following "political developments in the country" that syndicate heads would compile a list of their demands and present it to the ETUF’s board on Tuesday which will, in turn, present it to Shafiq.

Meanwhile, workers continued their protests and strikes across Egypt demanding better wages and an end to corruption.

In Cairo, tens of employees from the Egyptian Company for Agricultural and Rural Development and Forestation workers gathered in front of the Ministry of Agriculture demanding the appointment of staff on temporary contracts.

Workers said their wages range between LE 40 and LE 259 and some of them work on four-month renewable contracts.

Employees at the General Authority for Veterinary Services protested in front of the ministry demanding the resignation of newly-appointed manager, Mona Mehrez, accusing her of corruption.

"She was discharged from the Animal Health Research Institute after employees there complained about her corruption but she was shortly appointed as the head of the authority," said Omar Abdel Moneim, an employee.

In Helwan, 400 workers from Textile Equipment Company went on strike demanding the increase of incentives and annual profit shares and the implementation of delayed promotions.

In Menufiya, workers at Masr Menufiya textile factory organized a sit-in in front of Mubarak industrial zone’s insurance office in Qwesna to protest against the exclusion of the 10 percent annual raise from their salaries.

About 1,000 workers from the Egyptian-American Steel company in Sadat City organized a sit-in for the second consecutive day demanding an increase in their wages and obtaining health insurance and meal incentives.

"We are trying to compile these problems and we will discuss it with the prime minister," said Hussein Megawer, head of ETUF.

"The ETUF is an independent syndicate organization and we refuse the politicization of our work and being affiliated with any political party," added Megawer, a National Democratic Party (NDP) MP for Maadi.

The board said they support the demands of the revolution and described reform policies of the previous government headed by Ahmed Nazif as a failure.

Megawer participated in protests supporting former president Hosni Mubarak in response to anti-government protests in Tahrir Square. He is accused by workers of corruption and restricting syndicate activity due to his close ties with the NDP.

The Center for Trade Union and Workers’ Services (CTUWS) previously filed a complaint to the Prosecutor General requesting an investigation into the sources of Megawer’s wealth.

They accused Megawer of exploiting his position as president of ETUF and chairman of the manpower committee in parliament as well as combining his post as president of ETUF with his post as a member of the Board of Directors of Suez Cement Company.

According to CTUWS, the Public Funds Prosecution started its investigations and asked all concerned authorities to provide their certified records.

Megawer denied these accusations, stressing the integrity of his 46-year-long career.

"There was a similar complaint filed against me in 2008 and was investigated by the public prosecution but they found nothing," he said.

The Independent Syndicate for Real Estate Tax Workers organized a protest in front of the ETUF, demanding the resignation of Megawer along with the federation’s board.

“The federation has become a center for fighting the activities of labor syndicates. Now we are demanding an investigation into its corruption and demanding the resignation of its board and allowing workers to form their independent syndicates freely,” said Kamal Abu Eita, head of the first independent syndicate in Egypt.

"Megawer is part of a regime that has lost its legitimacy during the current revolution. That’s why we are demanding his resignation and an investigation into the sources of his fortune and his $2 million annual income," Kamal Abbas, general coordinator of CTUWS, previously told Daily News Egypt.

Five ETUF board members filed a complaint to the Prosecutor General on Saturday requesting an investigation into "Abbas’ secret activities, financed by foreign entities in order to execute a plan threatening the security of the country through the denigration of the official trade union organization, sowing discord among workers and destabilizing enterprises by bringing production to a standstill."

Thousands of workers from several oil and gas companies are on strike, protesting in front of the Ministry of Petroleum, in Nasr City. The workers have several economic and political demands, including putting an end to abusive management practices such as sacking workers who speak up for their rights, reinstating the sacked workers, raising salaries that roughly average LE400, establishing an independent union, impeaching the corrupt oil minister Sameh Fahmy, and stopping gas exports to Israel.

Egyptian state workers took to the streets of Cairo demanding higher pay Monday, prompting the ruling military council to call for an end to further chaos in the capital.

Ambulance drivers, police officers, public transport workers and members of Egypt’s Youth and Sports Organization were among the thousands of individuals protesting in Cairo and nearby Giza on Monday.

A statement from the military council called for an end to the latest strikes and protests, so that it can get Egypt back into a normal routine following the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

The statement said that such demonstrations threaten Egypt’s security and prosperity and give "irresponsible parties" an opportunity to commit "illegal acts."

The military took power from Mubarak on Friday, after 18 days of massive anti-government demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square forced the long-time president’s resignation.

Mubarak fled the capital and was reported to be staying at his residence in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

But Egypt’s U.S. ambassador revealed Monday that the former president may have fallen into ill-health in recent days.

Ambassador Sameh Shoukry told NBC’s "Today" show that Mubarak was "possibly in somewhat of bad health."

Shoukry did not provide further information on the ousted president’s condition, though two Egyptian newspapers have reported that the 82-year-old Mubarak is depressed and refusing to take medication.

Also Monday, the military council cleared out nearly all remaining protesters who have been camped out in Tahrir Square since the anti-Mubarak protests began in late January.

Cairo slowly returns to normal routines

Despite the wave of labour-related demonstrations on Monday, freelance journalist Jessica Gray said Cairo’s business sector was coming back to life, after the recent anti-government protests had left businesses in limbo for nearly three weeks.

"People are really coming back to work, you know, all the taxis are around, the buses and the food-sellers, all the restaurants are open and the banks and schools are opening up again," Gray told CTV’s Canada AM during a telephone interview from Cairo on Monday.

Egypt’s ruling military council has said its goal is to get Egypt back to normal as quickly as possible, while maintaining security in the country.

On the weekend, the military council dissolved parliament, suspended the Egyptian constitution and the promised to hold elections at a future date.

The powerful military also reached out to the opposition youth movement that helped topple Mubarak and his government.

Protesters Wael Ghonim and Amr Salama were among the youth representatives who met with the military on the weekend.

They posted a message on Facebook about the talks, saying that the military has pledged to "go after corrupt people no matter what their position current or previous."

The youth leaders were encouraged to start political parties and the military said it would meet with those parties regularly.

"We felt a sincere desire to protect the gains of the revolution and an unprecedented respect for the right of young Egyptians to express their opinions," Ghonim said.

Mark Sedra, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, said the Egyptian military should work to include opposition groups in any interim government that may be put together after the dismantling of Mubarak’s regime.

"First of all, the military has to reassure the people that it actually is going to hand over power, it has tried to do that in various statements," Sedra said in an interview from Kitchener, Ont., on Monday morning.

"But I think it has to even go a step further and reach out to opposition groups to form some sort of interim government that is going to include civilians. It won’t just be ruled by decree by the military high command."

When it comes to elections, Sedra said that the military must establish "a clear timetable," so that Egyptians can be reassured that their hard-fought revolution is safe.