CAIRO, (AP) – Thousands of workers across Egypt, have gone on strike, demanding better pay, benefits and working conditions in added turmoil amid the country’s anti-government protests.
The labor movement that mushroomed Wednesday could add new momentum to mass demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak. The protesters in Cairo want Mubarak’s ouster, saying his regime is riddled with corruption and Egypt has become a nation of growing poverty.
More than 5,000 workers from a variety of companies, including a ship repair firm, have gone on strike in the port city of Suez. Thousands of others have staged protests on company grounds in the cities of Mahalla, Port Said and Cairo.
The Suez strikes have not affected ship traffic through the Suez Canal.