The Ministry of Labour ordered the head of the labour force in Ismailia to negotiate with the administration of a garment company in the Free Zone of Investment in the province to disperse the sit-in of 265 workers and give them their late payments.
Following the negotiations with workers, the company paid salaries for April to the workers and granted workers paid vacation until the end of May.
The Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) reported in December 2016 that around 1,736 protests related to social and economic issues took place, in which protests by labour movements were the most frequent and continuous.
Workers’ conditions are deteriorating, especially after a series of price hikes seen in the country due to the recent decisions made by the government in order to implement the terms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. Prices of most products, including essential goods, increased in a very short period, which heavily impacted low-income citizens.
Over recent years, labour groups working in governmental institutions did not stop arranging rallies to call for their rights. A majority faced arrests and continuously renewed detentions on accusations of unlicensed protest.
