A worker cycles through the Al Khalifa district of Cairo with a tray of freshly baked bread. Bloomberg
A worker cycles through the Al Khalifa district of Cairo with a tray of freshly baked bread. Bloomberg
A worker cycles through the Al Khalifa district of Cairo with a tray of freshly baked bread. Bloomberg
A worker cycles through the Al Khalifa district of Cairo with a tray of freshly baked bread. Bloomberg

Egypt's irregular workers to be paid 1,000 pounds from emergency fund


Kamal Tabikha
  • English
  • Arabic

A one-time payment of 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($32) will be given to Egypt’s irregular workers through a new emergency subsidy fund.

On Labour Day, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said several social support mechanisms would be launched to help irregular workers, who are among the worst affected by an economic crisis.

Speaking at a sugar factory in the north-eastern province of Sharqia, he said the emergency fund would be launched in the coming weeks and irregular workers would receive financial support in emergencies.

Funds from the national budget set aside for health and social welfare will be redirected to the fund. Its managers will be allowed to invest the funds as they see fit, enabling it to “more sustainably” support irregular workers.

The one-time payment will be given to irregular workers who are not eligible for other social support mechanisms.

Mr El Sisi said “Aman” life insurance investment certificates, first issued in 2017, would return.

Available at four state banks, the certificates cost between 500 and 2,500 Egyptian pounds and offer monthly payments to a family if a loved one dies. The payments are made for a period of five to 10 years, depending on the amount invested.

Mr El Sisi said businesses should abide by a labour law that say 5 per cent of every workforce should be made up of people with disabilities.

He also urged public and private sector employers to give more jobs to women.

In December, the Ministry of Manpower said there were between 10 and 11 million irregular workers in Egypt.

A cost of living crisis has made many Egyptians unable to afford basic necessities this year. Efforts by the government to mitigate the crisis have done little to alleviate the pressures.

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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The flights

Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com

Seeing the games

Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com

 

Staying there

Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com

 

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How much of your income do you need to save?

The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.

In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)

Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.

 

Updated: May 01, 2023, 11:05 AM