By Mohammad Baali
Albwaba.com-Cairo
Dozens of textile factory workers on Tuesday participated in a sit-in in front of the office of Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Ebaid to protest against the Security and Salary Agency, which stopped paying them financial benefits in 1999.
A statement released by the Earth Center for Human Rights, a copy of which was obtained by Albawaba.com, said that security forces surrounded and dispersed the workers, who had submitted a complaint to the prime minister.
The statement added that the security forces threatened to arrest the workers if they regrouped in front of the cabinet headquarters.
The workers, who came from the small village of Mit Ghamer, told the human rights center that they had borrowed money to pay for their trip to Cairo.
“The huge expenses of our children’s education, which we could not afford, prompted us to come to Cairo and organize the sit-in,” added the workers.
Labor unrest has been increasing in Egypt over the past few years, particularly in view of the government’s far-reaching privatization and restructuring policies.
The economic recession, which has hit many manufacturers in the country’s new industrial cities, has also contributed to worker discontent - Albawaba.com
