Egypt tour guides protest for higher pay amid criticism

[DJKeefy]

Egyptian tour guides protest outside the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo on Sunday, demanding better pay and conditions after a year of turmoil for the hospitality sector.

"We want tourist agencies to raise our daily salaries to LE300 ($50) as the minister of tourism's decree promised a year and a half ago," Moataz El-Sayed, head of the syndicate of tourist guides told Ahram Online.

Tourist guides are currently paid LE100-150 ($16-25) per day.

Among their demands on Sunday are for non-Egyptians to be banned from working as guides, and that the government issue a law regulating the relationship between tourist agencies and guides, obliging companies to provide insurance for employees.

Tour guides have seen a rough 18 months in the wake of Egypt's January 2011 uprising as sustained political unrest caused a sharp drop in the number of foreign visitors to the country. Tourism revenues in 2011 were down a third on the year before, according to official statistics.

Several sit-ins and protests have taken place since ex-president Mubarak's resignation, with some tour guides demanding they be paid unemployment benefits to cover their living costs as they wait for a promised tourism revival.

Industry representatives seem sympathetic but say the downturn in one of Egypt's major cash-cows gives tourism firms little room to manouver.

"[Tour guides] ask for an increase in their salaries and that's their right, but the sector is not in its best shape so agencies don’t have much room to increase expenses," said Elhamy El-Zayat, head of the Egyptian Federation of Tourism.

"Agencies have already put out price lists for the winter season, and they can't change them now," he added.

"The market is in a position where it has an excess supply of guides and there isn’t much demand. Some guides even agree to work without pay and depend solely on commissions from bazaars and restaurants."

Seven political parties, including the Free Egyptians Party and the Constitution Party, have declared their support for the tourist guides' demands. Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi has also expressed solidarity.

But the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has refused to give its backing, with the head of the party's tourism committee saying the protest is ill-timed now the industry is showing signs of recovery.

"This protest will do more harm to tourism than good, as now is the time when international tourist agencies are preparing winter programmes," the FJP's Hazem Shawky said.

"We want to send a message that Egypt is stable and secure, and that the tourism sector is not problematic."

Last Friday's strike by EgyptAir cabin crew demanding better pay, which caused the grounding of international flights, has also damaged Egypt's standing as a tourist destination, Shawky claimed, implying that Sunday's protest would give a similarly negative impression.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/52360.aspx

[Who2]

People round here are lucky if they get 3OO per month let alone 3OO a day, 'sod em theivin load of clefties...

[Mimimay]

They make a fortune as it is from commisions alone ! Greedy.

[TonyC]

Ah, but the Dr's view gives carte blanche to tour companies to maximise their profits at the expense of workers! Guides have studied for up to four years to gain their qualifications, they are supposed to be experts in their field, and they probably don't work many days in the month. They work with groups of tourists, too, so it would mean only another pound stirling or one euro on each visitor's holiday price for a good day's work and pay.

In case that sounds too sympathetic, I will say I have no connection with guides or companies!

As the report points out, a 300LE rate was set by decree 18 months ago. Apparently, the companies refuse to obey the law!

Edited to add: Recognised guides have to pay tax on their earnings, too. More revenue for Egypt!

[hatusu]

Correct me if Im wrong (well Im sure someone will!) but wouldnt that mean that a tour guide would earn more in a week than a doctor does in a month?

[Bombay]

Pay them as much as they can then they can stop extorting money from everyone else in the industry!!
R

[TonyC]

Correct me if Im wrong (well Im sure someone will!) but wouldnt that mean that a tour guide would earn more in a week than a doctor does in a month?

The answer could only be provided by a doctor willing to come on here and tell us what he earns in a month!

I assume the assumption is that if a guide were to collect 300LE for a day and if he were to have a group of tourists to escort round the sites every day of the week, he'd be rolling in it. But it doesn't work like that. Tour companies have a big pool of guides to choose from – Egypt's "tourism academies" seem to turn out too many graduates for the market – so the chances of him working for more than a few days in a month (in the good times) are slim.

The higher rate is what guides are asking for; at the moment they get 100LE (and possibly, according to the press report, 150LE ... probably a better class of travel company). Visitors usually pay an all-in price for their holidays but it does mean, for example, that a group of 20 on a cruise have the benefit of a trained guide's services, knowledge and availability at all hours for around 50 pence a day each!

Now package tour visitors might want to complain about his wages, but I can't see why anyone else would.

Just noticed Bombay's point! Higher wages may be an answer to the commission problems!

[Teddyboy]

On my first cruise, (1997) the recommended tip for the guide was £10 per person, for the week. Each of the two guides had about 15 people in their group, so the guides (hoped for) tip income for that week was £150 (at the time about 835le). I bumped into the same guide only last year, she's still working the same cruiseboat, and if you add 100le per day to her tips, then (even working only two weeks per month) she's averaging 3070le per month! And that's without her commission here and there!

Mind you, she was VERY good!

[TonyC]

Of course the company is going to recommend a good tip for the guides – they pay them peanuts and expect them to be servile (or charming) enough to warrant big tips, or desperate enough to chase big commissions. But I suppose a nice envelope of cash (no worries about tax there) is better than holding your hand out for gratuities to give you an income!