Textilarbeiter im Streik

Seit dem 26. Juni befinden sich die 1.400 ArbeiterInnen des Textilunternehmens Amonsinco im Streik und halten das Firmengelände besetzt. Auslöser der Aktion war die Tatsache, dass das Unternehmen zwar Beiträge zur Pensionskasse vom Lohn abzieht, diese aber nicht abführt. Der (englische) Bericht "Workers of the Economic Company for Industrial Development (Amonsinco) Start Strike and Sit-in As From Monday 26/6/2006" des CENTER FOR TRADE UNION & WORKERS SERVICES vom 29. Juni 2006.

Workers of the Economic Company for Industrial Development (Amonsinco) Start Strike and Sit-in As From Monday 26/6/2006

On Monday 26 June 2006, the 1400 workers of the Economic Company for Industrial Development (Amonsinco) started sit-in at the Company premises protesting against the arbitrary procedures of the management of their Company and calling for their denied insurance rights.

The workers of Amonsinco which is a company for spinning, weaving and ready made clothes found out that when a worker dies his family cannot get the pension. The Social Insurance Organization says that the Company does not pay the insurance subscriptions although the Company cuts off these amounts from the monthly wages of the workers.

In addition, the Company management took a number of new arbitrary procedures as a tool for pressure on them to make their working conditions intolerable. The Company, for example, stopped to pay its bills for the company in charge of the workers transportation to and from the factory. At the same time, the Company changed the work hours so as to start 07:00 a.m. instead of 08:00 a.m. to make it difficult for many workers to start on time. This is practically impossible in particular for workers who live in Helwan, Menoufiya, Banha, Al Qanatir Al Khayriya and other far away places. Moreover, the workers are forced to bear the cost of their transportation.

For all the above mentioned reasons, the workers feel the threat of the Company management and that their right to job security is jeopardized. They are always at the risk of losing their jobs especially when the Company started to abstain from buying new raw materials and to force some of them to take coercive unpaid leaves. Such a procedure represents a considerable cut-off of the workers' wages which can hardly suffice to sustain them.

It is worthy mentioning that the owner of the Economic Company for Industrial Development (Amonsinco) is Mr. Adel Agha who is a Syrian American businessman who evaded a court sentence, settled his liabilities with the banks and resumed his economic activities.

The Center for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS) follow abreast the developments of the events at the Economic Company for Industrial Development (Amonsinco) and announces its full solidarity with the Company workers in their fair demands. At the same time the CTUWS calls upon all the concerned bodies to intervene and express their solidarity with these workers and invites them to support them in defending their right to job security, fair wages and labour relations.

You are requested to send your messages of solidarity with the workers of Al Fayoum Sugar Beets Company to the following:

The People's Assembly (the Parliament) Fax No. + 02 7942 435
The Egyptian Trade Union Federation Fax No. + 02 5753 427
The Cabinet of Ministers Fax No, + 02 7958 048
The Center for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS)

Cairo, Thursday, 29/6/2006