CAIRO: Thousands of state employees, from ambulance drivers to police and transport workers, protested Monday to demand better pay and conditions in a growing wave of labor unrest unleashed by the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak from the presidency. Soldiers cleared out almost all the remaining protesters from a central Cairo square that had been the epicenter of the 18-day revolt.
Egypt's ambassador to the United States said Mubarak may be in ''bad health,'' providing the first word on the state of the 82-year-old leader since he was ousted on Friday and the military took over running the country.
Speaking Monday on NBC's ''Today'' program, Sameh Shoukry said he had received information that Mubarak was ''possibly in somewhat of bad health.'' He said he could not be more specific, but two Cairo newspapers on Monday said Mubarak was refusing to take medication, depressed and repeatedly passing out at his residence in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. There was no immediate confirmation of the reports.
Mubarak had surgery in Germany last year to remove his gallbladder.
At Tahrir (Liberation) Square, army soldiers cleared the area except for a small group of holdout protesters after more than two weeks of round-the-clock demonstrations. Protesters had turned the busy traffic circle into a tent camp, complete with a medical clinics, a makeshift jail, and food stalls. Over the past two days, the army cleared out the tents, blankets and the many huge banners that festooned the square, calling for the removal of the regime.
At the height of the protests, hundreds of thousands demanding Mubarak's immediate ouster and sweeping reforms filled the square. The remaining protesters say they won't leave before all those detained during the protests are released.
Several huge trucks were piled high with blankets that protesters used to sleep left the square Tuesday. All the tents were gone, as were other signs of permanent camps. By early afternoon, a few dozen determined protesters remained, standing in one corner of the square, yelling for the release of political prisoners.
Outside the Nile-side TV and state radio building, hundreds of public transport workers demonstrated to demand better pay. Several hundred protesters from the state Youth and Sports Organization also protested Monday in Tahrir with similar demands.
Across the Nile River in the Giza district, hundreds of ambulance drivers staged a protest, also to demand better pay and permanent jobs. They parked at least 70 ambulances on a roadside along the river, but did not block the main road where they protested.
In downtown Cairo, hundreds of policemen demonstrated for better pay for a second day. They also want to clear the name of the hated police, further tarnished by the deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. Some carried portraits of policemen killed in the clashes.
''These are victims of the regime too,'' declared one placard.
''It's hard for us to go back to work because people hate us,'' said one protester, a captain who was among the demonstrators. ''An official funeral must be held for our martyrs.''
Several hundred unemployed archaeology graduates demonstrated outside the Supreme Council for Antiquities in the upscale district of Zamalek, demanding jobs.
The head of the country's national carrier, EgyptAir, was removed by the civil aviation minister after workers went on strike at Cairo International Airport. Alaa Ashour, who airport officials said was also Mubarak's pilot on international trips, was removed late Sunday after workers called for more perks and pay.
Even so, the protests continued Monday in other subsidiaries of EgyptAir's parent company, as well as workers at companies that provide support services to the airline. Tour liaisons at the airport were preparing to go on strike in response to the deterioration in the vital tourism industry in the country.
Reflecting the continuing downturn in travel from Egypt, EgyptAir said it had organized only 31 international flights and 12 domestic flights for Monday. The carrier generally has about 145 scheduled flights per day.
The Central Bank of Egypt ordered banks across the country closed following a strike by employees of the National Bank, the largest state bank, and several other financial institutions. Tuesday is a national holiday in Egypt to mark the birth of Prophet Muhammad. The banks are now scheduled to reopen Wednesday.
The stock market, however, will stay closed Wednesday and Thursday, the final weekday in Egypt. A previous announcement had said it would reopen Wednesday, ending a three-week closure that began after the market lost almost 17 per cent of its value in two days of trading in late January.