RESUMING his full duties after recovering from last month's gallbladder surgery in Germany, President Hosni Mubarak ordered all government employees to be paid a monthly bonus equivalent to 10 per cent of their paychecks, starting with the new fiscal year in July. Mubarak ordered the Government to maintain the annual pay rise as last year's at 10 per cent for salaries and pensions with no maximum rate, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. It added that Mubarak had increased the pay rise from the scheduled seven per cent, proposed by Minister of Finance Youssef Botrous Ghali. Mubarak chaired a meeting of several Government ministers in his first official appearance in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday since the Germany surgery. "This is the first official meeting with a group of ministers," spokesman Magdy Rady said. He added that Mubarak discussed a host of domestic issues at the meeting, which was attended by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, as well as ministers of finance, housing and economic development. The pay rise is likely meant to drum up support for the policies after a court ruling to raise wages and set a minimum rate for all governmental employees. State television showed footage of Mubarak wearing a dark suit and tie and sitting at a table with ministers. The presenter said they discussed issues including rising prices and other economy-related topics. "We were all impatient for this meeting, which shows that the president has resumed his duties completely," Nazif said. The 81-year-old Mubarak went to Sharm el-Sheikh to recuperate after the surgery. Mubarak handed over presidential powers to the Prime Minister just before his operation on March 6 and reassumed them upon his return to Egypt.
