20110210
presstv
Tens of thousands of Egyptian employees have left workplaces to protest insufficient payment and join the popular revolution against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak.

On Thursday, strikes were reported in the capital of Cairo, cities on the north coast, including Alexandria, the northeastern seaport town of Suez as well as the Red Sea coast in the east.

The uprising, which is in its 17th straight day, has been fiercely confronted by Egyptian security forces. More than 300 people have lost their lives since the popular movements began, reports say.

"We have started to hear of the billions of dollars that officials hold in personal accounts,” said unionist Kamal Abbas.

“So many employees feel it is time to stand up and demand their rights.”

British paper The Guardian reported earlier in the month that, according to Middle East experts, Mubarak has stored much wealth in secret bank accounts in British and Swiss banks.

He could have amassed as much as USD 70 billion during decades as a top official.