The Association of Tourism Workers demanded Tuesday an end to laying off tourism sector employees, adding that those who have been laid off should be given allowances from the Manpower Ministry's Emergency Allowances Fund.
The Emergency Allowances Fund was created in accordance with law No. 156 (2002) to provide financial assistance to workers who have been laid off or who worked for institutions that shut down partially or completely.
The statement said the state must pay social insurance to laid off workers, which was supposed to be deducted from their wages.
Laid off workers have for decades contributed to providing foreign exchange to the Egyptian economy and deserve compensation, said the Association of Tourism Workers.
The government, represented by the Manpower Ministry and the Tourism Ministry, has not taken any action to compensate the workers who have been laid off, the statement continued.
The tourism sector has been in decline since the January 25 Revolution, a decline that further escaled following the crash of Russian passenger plane in Sinai on October 31.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
