It’s confirmed… 55,000 Real Estate Tax officers are striking tomorrow Sunday. Thousands, from the Cairo and Giza offices, are expected to demonstrate at 10am for an hour in front of the Mogamaa’ el-Massaleh in Giza (near Om el-Masreyeen), then move to join 2000 of their colleagues who are expected to arrive in buses from the Nile Delta provinces, to protest in front the Ministry of Finance’s Cairo HQ in Abbassiya.

The civil servants demands include, according to a socialist source in Cairo, their inclusion to the Ministry of Finance, and receiving equal status to the latter’s employees. The Real Estate Tax officers operate under the Local Councils, receiving a total monthly salary (basic salary+bonuses) of LE300 (US$54). Their colleagues at the Ministry of Finance receive an average of LE1200 (US$216).

My source also added the strike in effect already started after Eid, with 90% drop in real estate tax collection activity.

There are concerns the security may ban the Giza protesters from assembling or moving later to Abbassiya. It also remains possible that the police may block the provincial buses from entering Cairo. That’s why I hope there will be a good media presence tomorrow to act as a deterrent. I urge all my fellow bloggers and journalists in Egypt to keep a close eye on the situation…

I hope this strike action will also receive the proper international support it deserves. It will be great if labor activists and trade unionists issue statements of support, as well as send emails to the Egyptian Ministry of Finance (finance@mof.gov.eg) asking the government to submit to the strikers’ legitimate demands.