The Suez Misdemeanour Court on Thursday acquitted 19 workers of the IFFCO Suez Company, who were charged with inciting other workers to strike. The workers had previously been acquitted but the prosecution appealed decision.
The management of the company filed police reports against the workers, accusing them of rioting and violence.
In December 2016, workers had escalated a demonstration into an open-ended strike, in protest of the immense gap between salaries obtained by workers and those obtained by employees in managerial positions. They demanded justice in the distribution of salaries.
The workers also protested against not getting bonuses issued, especially after the latest price hikes on different goods and services.
Over the last three months, Egypt faced a series of price hikes due to recent decisions made by the government in order to implement the terms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, for which Egypt sought to complete its economic reform programme. Prices of most products, including essential goods, increased in a very short period, which heavily impacted low-income citizens.
