Cairo metro chief sacked after strike paralyses city

Metro workers in Cairo staged a brief strike that brought the Egyptian capital's notorious traffic to a grinding halt on Wednesday, before the government agreed to sack the metro chief. Metro workers walked out for several hours and no trains were operating on Cairo's underground system which carries millions of passengers a day. The five-hour strike ended after Transport Minister Rashad al-Metini announced that the chairman of the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation, Ali Hussein, had tendered his resignation, state news agency MENA reported. Traffic jams had clogged the capital with many commuters forced to stay at home. Workers are seeking better pay and working conditions, but a key demand was also the sacking of Hussein, whom they accuse of corruption. Refaat Arfaat, head of the metro workers’ syndicate, has said many trains are in desperate need of repair because of government negligence.