Egypt Watch

Misr Cement Qena workers protest low wages

On Saturday, rights groups said Misr Cement Qena workers began a sit-in, protesting their working conditions. Last month, the company’s workers organized a protest to demand the payment of bonuses accumulated since 2016 and to protest against the company’s management not raising their wages despite the high inflation rates. Misr Cement was established on May 25, 1997, with a capital of 600 million Egyptian pounds, to produce cement of all kinds and other cement by-products. Banks, insurance and investment companies, and business people contributed to its establishment. Now the market capital of the company is 1,319,760,000 Egyptian pounds. According to the Center for Trade Union & Workers Services, last year witnessed 8,041 violations of workers’ rights in Egypt. Last year, the rights group documented 254 cases of unfair dismissal and 214 cases of forced resignation.