By Hend Kortam and Hassan Ghoneima
An agreement was finally reached on Tuesday between striking workers and the administration of Dubai Ports World, the company that runs Ain Sokhna Port.
The settlement comes after dozens of workers in the Port went on strike a week ago.
The recent strike, which did not bring operations in the port to an end as the previous one did, was held in objection to the dismissal of seven workers and the promises made to employees at the end of an October strike, which were still not met.
The settlement gives the seven workers a higher severance payment in return for their agreement to leave the company. The seven workers received their full financial dues on Tuesday and agreed to drop the charges they brought against the company for sacking them.
Many workers believe the seven workers were laid off for their union activities and for demanding pay raises. In response to their dismissal, around 2,700 workers went on strike in October, halting all operations in the port and costing the company millions in losses.
After an intervention from presidential officials, the port was re-opened in late October.
The officials held negotiations with the Dubai Ports World administration and agreed that the administration would start legal investigations into the reasons behind the dismissal of the workers. The investigations were never undertaken.
The company released a statement on Tuesday, urging employees to work hard in order to make up for the losses caused by all the strikes and sit-ins.
