Textile Workers Demand Higher Wages

At least 10,000 employees of Egypt’s biggest textile factory gathered last month to protest against price hikes, and demanded a sharp rise in minimum wages nationwide. Workers at the Ghazl Al Mahalla factory demanded a minimum wage of LE 1,200 a month. Last September, at least 24,000 workers at Ghazl Al Mahalla went on strike over unpaid profit shares and low wages. The government subsequently agreed to their demands and similar strikes were held in other factories. The latest action, however, marked the first protest calling for wider demands and came as the Higher Council for Wages, a quasi-governmental organization, recommended that the government increase the minimum wage from LE 105 to LE 350 per month. The proposed wage hike would require the cabinet’s approval.

Source: Business Monthly