Surprise drug tests for Egypt’s railway workers

Offenders face wage cuts, suspensions

Egypt’s rail authorities plan drug tests for workers after a string of train crashes blamed on negligence and drug-taking, local media reported.

The tests will mainly target drivers, assistants, ticket collectors and supervisors as well as workers in charge of signals, crossings and control systems.

“Rail employees will undergo surprise drug tests,” a source at the National Railways Authority was quoted by newspaper as saying. Workers who test positive for drug use will face wage cuts and suspension for six months during which they will get their basic salaries only.

A worker who test positive a third timewill be transferred to a job unrelated to train operations. If the worker is proven to be an addict, he could be sacked by a disciplinary court.

Egypt has witnessed two deadly rail crashes in less than a month. A train derailed north of Cairo on Sunday, killing 23. The accident came a few weeks after a collision in Sohag that killed 22 people.