Dozens of workers at KCG Textile Egypt started an open ended strike on Sunday, protesting the company’s “worsening management”, and demanding retroactive profit shares that are eight years late.
The workers said that they will continue the strike until they start negotiations with the company’s executive leaders, and not the current management. They accused the latter of not paying out profit shares to the workers.
While focusing their feud on the management, the workers also demanded the formation of an independent syndicate to “ensure their rights and act as an advocate in front of the company”, and the application of a social security system to “protect the workers from forced suspension”, according to one of the protesting workers who wished to remain anonymous.
KCG is one of the largest international Turkish companies working in the field of textiles and energy.
After hearing about the strike, riot police surrounded the company. No confrontation between the workers and the police took place.
In 2012, KCG showed their desire to build an industrial compound in Sinai with an investment of $400m. The KCG factory is situated in the industrial area of 10th of Ramadan City.
Recently, political demands, such as the interrogation of board members in private and public companies, have been raised by workers in different comapnies. The latest example was the strike of Koum Hamada workers who demanded the sacking of the company’s CEO.
However, strikes and labor mobilisation are often stopped through the intervention of members of parliament or through intimidation by security forces.
As a result, workers often end strikes after only gaining economic benefits, while dropping political ones.
In Egypt, protesting can lead to prison sentences or to early retirement. The latest example of that was the imprisonment of 13 workers of the Alexandria Shipyard Company on accusations of protesting. They were tried in a military court.
