Saber Fahmy, 57, the bus driver who set himself ablaze in Shubra al-Kheima, said he works daily from 6 am to 4 pm, while the head of the district deprives him and his colleagues from their rights.
“I set myself on fire because we have no rights. The head of the district had not disbursed our incentives since December,” he said.
In a phone call with a talk show aired on the privately-owned Ten TV channel on Tuesday, Fahmy said, “My colleagues and I headed to many officials until our complaint reached the governor. Every time we were kicked out of the office. We got nothing. Now I’m sick and suffering burns.”
Fahmy had complained that the head of the district, Abdel Rahman Meqled, assigned him to do more work, despite suffering from various health issues. Fahmy had shown in medical reports to his supervisors that he could not work for long hours, due to previous injuries in his neck, chest and face, but was still asked to increase his hours. Feeling helpless, Fahmy said he wanted to take control and end his suffering.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
