Revealed: Unlike most Walmart workers, ancient Egyptians got paid sick days

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/revealed-unlike-walmart-workers-ancient-egyptians-got-paid-sick-days/



The Egyptians working on tombs might have had better healthcare than you.

Revealed: Unlike most Walmart workers, ancient Egyptians got paid sick days
Brett Smith
February 18, 2015

Ancient Egyptians, who relied on slave labor, weren't exactly known for their generous employee benefits packages. However, some texts from Egypt's New Kingdom period, about 3,100-3,600 years ago, suggest that highly skilled craftsmen working on royal tombs did get paid sick leave.

During the New Kingdom period, royalty was laid to rest in a number of rock-cut tombs, not the massive pyramids of the past. The Egyptians of the time built a village called Deir el-Medina close enough to the burial sites to make certain that craftsmen could walk there every week.

These valued workers received a various amenities provided only to those with the workmanship and expertise essential to working on something as critical as the royal tomb. The Egyptian government compensated them in the form of monthly installments of grain. These workers were also given housing and servants to help with duties like washing laundry, milling grain, and getting water. Their loved ones lived with them in the village, and their wives and children could also make use of these provisions.

Ancient texts show that tomb workers were out sick from time to time. However, their wages were never docked due to these absences, records show.