CAIRO: Workers from the Information Centers for Local Development (ICLD) have ended their sit-in outside parliament after receiving promises of pay increases. According to ICLD employee Abdel-Meneim Sharaf Eddin, a resolution was reached during a meeting of the People's Assembly's manpower committee attended by three ICLD employees, the head of the Egyptian Federation of Trade Unions Hussein Meghawer, representatives of the Ministries of Finance, Administrative Affairs and Manpower as well as general Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub, the Minister of Local Development. ICLD workers with intermediate qualifications will receive a monthly salary of LE 320 while those with advanced qualifications will be paid LE 380 per month. The new salary scales will be effective from July. Workers began their sit-in on a pavement opposite the People's Assembly on April 17, 2010. Some 32,000 workers were appointed in 2002 to work in the information centers but were not given permanent status. As a result they were denied health and social insurance benefits. In addition to demanding that they be given permanent contracts, workers demanded that they be given pay increases since their wages ranged between LE 99 and LE 150 per month. Sharaf Eddin says that he is pleased with the agreement reached despite the fact that workers were not granted their principal demand of being made permanent employees. The ICLD employee told Daily News Egypt that the manpower committee agreed to seven out of 10 of the workers' demands, refusing their demand that they be made permanent employees. A demand for eight years worth of back-pay of the difference between the former and current salaries was rejected, as was a demand that workers be awarded back-payments of health insurance contributions. Under the deal reached on Monday workers will receive health insurance and social benefits for the first time.
