Friday 13/March/2026 – 01:39 PM
100 workers advanced at the Egyptian Knitting and Readymade Garments Company Come to the store In distress after the company’s management decided to stop them from working, against the backdrop of their demands to apply the minimum wage and pay the annual increase.
100 workers at Atek Garment are calling for help to alleviate their suffering after demanding the minimum wage
According to the workers’ statements to Cairo 24, they asked the administration more than once, in a friendly manner, to implement the annual increase and raise wages, but their demands were not met, which prompted them to organize a protest in front of the factory last Tuesday, demanding the implementation of the minimum wage set by the state at about 7,000 pounds.
The workers explained that they work about 9 and a half hours a day, with a basic salary ranging between 4,800 and 4,900 pounds, in addition to an hour and a half of compulsory overtime, bringing the total actual income to about 6,000-6,200 pounds, provided that they are not absent or take vacations, with insurance, transportation, and daily living expenses deducted.
The workers indicated that the administration granted them leave on Wednesday after the first stop, but they returned on Thursday to organize a second stop due to the lack of response to their demands. Representatives from the Labor Office attended and promised to intervene, but without tangible results so far.
The next morning, the workers were surprised by closing the factory gates and leaving them outside until 11 a.m., before the security director intervened to open the doors. However, management informed them of the decision to suspend them from work for a week without specifying the reasons or the wage to be deducted. Some supervisors also informed the workers that whoever wanted to continue would continue, and whoever did not suit the situation could leave.
The workers also pointed out that there was discrimination in applying the increases, as the workers of the Dice subsidiary’s dye shops received a 20% increase, while the management promised the factory workers only a 3% increase, justifying this by saying that the dye workers were more important.
The workers also confirmed that they are being investigated and forced to sign “blank” penalty papers without specifying the value of the discount, in addition to following up on those who did not return to work and went to work in other factories, as the factories in which they worked were informed of their dismissal without giving reasons.
The workers called on the concerned authorities and the Ministry of Labor to intervene to resolve the crisis so that they could work again without any problems.
