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BBC News Middle East 14 February 2011 Last updated at 14:07 GMT Egypt crisis: Protests switch to demands on pay Bread seller in Tahrir Square, 14 Feb The military council wants people back at work and the economy back on track Fresh protests and strikes have flared in Egypt as demonstrators demand better pay and conditions from the country's new military rulers. Bank, transport and tourism workers all demonstrated in Cairo after 18 days of protests succeeded in removing President Hosni Mubarak. In a TV statement, the military urged all Egyptians to go back to work. Earlier Cairo's Tahrir Square was cleared of protesters, but hundreds soon returned, joined by police. Most of the thousands of protesters in the square had left on Sunday after welcoming the announcement by the new ruling military council that it would dissolve parliament and suspend the constitution. 'Honour the martyrs' The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says there appears to be a whole series of mini-revolutions going on in the wake of the removal of Mr Mubarak and that the big challenge now facing the military rulers may be staving off a wave of strikes. In a televised statement, the military said the best guarantee of a smooth transition to civilian rule would be if all Egyptians went back to work. Strikes and disputes "will damage the security of the country", the army's ruling high council said. Early on Monday, military police moved in to clear the last remaining democracy protesters. But Tahrir Square was not left to the motorists for long. Wave upon wave of new protesters have been coming through. They include the police, blamed by many for repressing the earlier protests and maintaining President Mubarak in power. But the police wanted to let everyone know that they're being treated as scapegoats. Then various groups of workers joined the demonstrations, including some employees from the vast government building on the edge of the square and more anti-government demonstrators. Across Egypt, it's a slightly chaotic situation, with workers staging their own mini-revolutions against their bosses. And there is no sign it's going to calm down any time soon. However, it had to instruct banks to remain closed on Monday following the strike threats. The Egyptian stock exchange has also postponed its reopening until Sunday at the earliest. Hundreds of bank employees protested on Monday outside a branch of the Bank of Alexandria in central Cairo, calling for their managers to resign. Outside the state TV and radio building, hundreds of public transport workers took part in a demonstration, calling for better pay. One protester, Ahmed Ali, told the Reuters news agency: "The big people steal and the little people get nothing." Many employees blame bosses for what they consider to be huge earnings gaps in companies. Ambulance drivers parked 70 of their emergency vehicles along a riverside road in a pay protest. Near the Great Pyramids, some 150 tourism industry workers also demanded higher wages. The tourism sector, which accounts for 6% of GDP and is in its peak season, has been badly hit by the anti-government demonstrations. Strikes and protests at other state-owned firms across Egypt have hit the postal, media, textile and steel industries. Military police in Tahrir Square Military police closed in on the hard core in Tahrir Square but it filled again later on Monday There are reports the military is planning to prevent meetings by labour unions or professional organisations, effectively banning strikes. Correspondents say this could cause more unrest and trouble. In a separate protest, hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes police marched to Tahrir Square, shouting "We and the people are one" and vowing to "honour the martyrs of the revolution". The officers wanted to convey the message that they had been forced to act against their wishes in using force on protesters early in the anti-government demonstration. Our correspondent, Jon Leyne, says whereas the army is fairly well trusted, the police are frankly detested and this effort to rebuild relations with the public will take a lot of time and hard work. He says that earlier on Monday, security forces had removed the final protesters from Tahrir Square, using a degree of force and making a few arrests. But the square soon filled again with a new wave of protesters. 'Sincere desire' On Sunday, a statement from the higher military council was read out on state TV, saying it would suspend the constitution and set up a committee to draft a new one, which would then be put to a popular referendum. During the transition, the cabinet appointed by Mr Mubarak last month will go on governing, submitting legislation to the army chiefs for approval. The opposition's Ayman Nour described the military leadership's steps as a "victory for the revolution". Key activist Wael Ghonim added that there had been an encouraging meeting between the military and youth representatives on Sunday. "[The military] said they will go after corrupt people no matter what their position current or previous," Mr Ghonim reported. He added: "We felt a sincere desire to protect the gains of the revolution and an unprecedented respect for the right of young Egyptians to express their opinions." Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu also welcomed the military announcement, saying the treaty between Israel and Egypt was a cornerstone of Middle East stability. He will meet the visiting chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen, on Monday to discuss the Egyptian situation. Adm Mullen arrived in Israel from a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, which has also been hit by protests in the wave of Middle Eastern unrest. ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! 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