Amnesty International claimed that the Egyptian authorities have been complicit in oppressing dozens of factory workers who participated in a peaceful strike between July 26 and August 1 to demand fair salaries.
The new national minimum wage will be at least 2,400 Egyptian pounds (US$153) per month by January 2022.
About 2,000 employees of the LORD International company in Alexandria participated in a week-long strike to demand a salary increase. Many workers receive a monthly salary of 2,000 Egyptian pounds ($127).
The company’s administration took measures against the strike, including the unfair dismissal of 64 workers, the suspension of 83 others, referral of workers to internal investigation, the reduction of their salaries, and making interrogations and threats.
Therefore, the workers submitted a complaint to the Ministry of Manpower who failed to respond or provide effective support. The ministry rejected their official complaints, pressured them to end their illegal strike, informed the workers that it could not intervene, and advised them to find a solution with their company.
According to Egypt’s labour law, only official trade unions can organize strikes. LORD International’s workers make part of an independent trade union was dissolved after the 2011 uprising and the strict Trade Unions Act of 2017. Despite law reforms in 2019, the Egyptian government continues to refuse to officially recognize new independent trade unions, thus banning all strikes not approved by the state-controlled Federation of Trade Unions.
#Egypt #Strike #LORD_International
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