By Tamim Elyan
CAIRO: Five workers from Petrojet Company participating at a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Petroleum were arrested by military police on charges of illegal gather and occupying a public road and were referred to military prosecution, a workers’ group said.
The arrested workers were remanded in custody for 15 days pending investigations.
More Than 150 workers from Petrojet, working on temporary contracts and who were dismissed by the company’s management, have been holding a sit-in for more than two weeks after the company’s CEO, Mohamed Abdel Hafez, refused that they return to their jobs despite a decision from the minister to reinstate all dismissed workers.
According to a statement by the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS), Workers started their sit-in after Minister of Petroleum Abdullah Ghorab refused to meet their delegation. Military police arrested five workers and told other workers that they would be released if they ended their sit-in.
However workers, some of whom have been working for 10 years on temporary contracts, refused to end their sit-in until their demands of returning to work are met, CTUWS said.
