Parliament on Tuesday approved a ten-percent increase in annual bonuses for government employees, despite opposition calls for a 20-percent raise in line with soaring commodity prices.
“The raise proves how much President Hosni Mubarak cares about low-income segments,” said Egyptian Trade Unions Federation President Hussein Megawer.
Muslim Brotherhood MP Hussein Ibrahim, however, said the raise was not enough. “The Administrative Court has ruled that the minimum wage should be set at LE1200,” he said.
Parliamentary Speaker Fathi Sorour, for his part, explained that the court could only issue recommendations in this regard. “It is not within the court’s power to decree a wage,” Sorour said.
Wafd Party MP Mohamed Dawood, meanwhile, suggested that voting on the issue be postponed, calling on Mubarak to raise public bonuses by 15 percent.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
