Egypt’s tour guides to strike
The head of Egypt”s Syndicate of Tour Guides, Moataz El-Sayed has announced that tour guides will strike from the 15-17 of November if their long-standing demands for health insurance and unemployment benefits are not answered.
The state-run Arabic language Al-Ahhram news reports that El-Sayed held a press conference on Saturday asking governmental authorities to respond to these demands or a strike would be put into effect. Al-Ahram says that El-Sayed met with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi but that no concessions were offered.
Egypt’s tour guides are a key component of Nile cruises, as well as on ground tours in Cairo, Aswan and the Valley of Kings. Many are highly educated and have degrees in architecture, Egyptology and other related fields. They board buses at key cruise points like Port Said (for Cairo) and Alexandria and escort travelers for their entire shore excursion.
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