Egypt cigarette worker strike ends

Workers in Egyptian cigarette factories are back on the job after a two-day strike ended when the government-backed monopoly met their demands. Management at Eastern Co., owned by the Government Holding Co. for Food Industries, agreed to pay striking workers bonuses owed them over the last 42 months and pay for meal allowances, al-Masry al-Youm said Wednesday. Workers staged a mass sit-in in front of the factory in Giza, Egypt, and closed down a street for two days. They credited Investment Minister Osama Saleh for intervening and agreed to work extra shifts to make up for the two-day stoppage. Profits at Eastern Co. were 165 million Egyptian pounds ($26.7 million) so far this year, up from 121 million Egyptian pounds last year.