Shipping and freight workers at Luxor International Airport blocked the road leading to the airport in protest of the Egyptian Airports Company disregarding their demands for fixed payrolls and pay raises.
The workers said they have been working for 17 years, while the company tasked a businessman with the privilege of controlling shipping and freight in the airport.
The businessman refused to contract the workers, even temporarily, stopped their wages and threatened to sack them in case they objected to his decisions.
Luxor’s governor, Ezzat Saad, met with them Thursday and promised to solve the problem, they said, asserting that the investor threatened to sack them if they insisted on their positions.
Tourists were angered at the road blockage when their buses could not reach the airport.
The head of the chambers of Luxor tourist companies, Tharwat Agami, said he received complaints from companies relaying tourists’ anger about the stoppage of their tours, adding that the weak tourist movement in the city was affected.
Agami urged officials to stop blockages of roads and tourist locations to maintain what is left of tourism in Egypt.
Executive and security leadership moved to convince the workers to open the road.
Saad said he reached a deal last week with the Egyptian Airports Company to contract the workers and raise their pay.
Edited Translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
