An infant girl died in her mother’s arms last Wednesday inside the Nile Linen Group textile factory in Alexandria after her mother, Doaa Mohamed—just ten days back from maternity leave—was denied emergency leave and kept inside the facility for three hours. The death has fueled protests, demands for accountability, and renewed scrutiny of labor conditions in Egypt’s free zones.
On Saturday, 15 members of Nile Linen’s independent union committee met with a delegation from the Alexandria Labor Directorate, led by Deputy Director Mohamed Kamal, to present a list of demands following the tragedy. Doaa and her husband attended. Factory management declined to participate, avoiding confrontation with grieving and angry staff.
The death sparked a two-day strike beginning Wednesday. Security forces surrounded the compound and detained two workers, who were released after pressure from colleagues. To defuse tensions, the company gave workers the weekend off.
In testimony to Al Manassa and repeated at the meeting, Doaa said: “I had just returned from maternity leave. My daughter was gravely ill with a stomach infection. I had already missed a day to take her to the hospital. If you miss two days without permission, they cut your LE 2,000 (about $41.7) cost-of-living allowance—money our families cannot live without.”
Her supervisor rejected her request for urgent leave, even as she held her sick child. For three hours, she pleaded while security blocked her exit. Only when HR overruled the decision was she allowed to leave. “But by the time I reached the gate, it was too late—she died in my arms.”
Another worker told Al Manassa that police at Dekheila station obstructed Doaa’s attempt to file a complaint. “She fears retaliation—losing her job or her rights,” the worker said.
Labor Minister Mohamed Gobran said his ministry was monitoring the case “moment by moment” and instructed the Alexandria directorate to enforce Law 14/2025, covering leave and wage protections.
Workers’ demands
Union president Mohamed Abdel Latif told Al Manassa the demands center on justice for Doaa’s child and structural reforms for all workers. The manager who denied leave has been suspended and referred for investigation. The union also requested compensation for Doaa’s family, which the ministry pledged to support.
Workers demand an end to punitive leave policies, timely salary payments, and restoration of hazard pay to seven days per month. They insist wage deductions apply only to base pay, not total compensation, and condemn the docking of the full LE 2,000 allowance after two days’ absence as a clear breach of minimum wage protections.
Additional demands include a penalty fund for emergencies, company-funded childcare meeting safety standards, and visible postings of women’s rights under Egyptian labor law in all women’s workspaces.
The union also pushed for resolution of a February case in which seven workers were suspended without pay over false theft charges. Prosecutors dismissed the case, yet management continues to withhold their wages and allowances.
Rights groups respond
Rights groups condemned the incident, demanding an independent investigation, protection for witnesses, and assurances that Doaa will not face retaliation. They also pressed for safe childcare, streamlined emergency leave, and enforcement of workers’ right to urgent family leave.
The Centre for Egyptian Women Legal Assistance called the child’s death a symbol of systemic labor exploitation across Egypt. The New Woman Foundation described it as “a blatant violation of workers’ rights.” The Center for Trade Union and Workers’ Services criticized Nile Linen’s “prohibitive leave policies,” while the Revolutionary Socialists declared: “She wasn’t merely lost. She was killed in plain view of capital, under the guard of police that enable companies to bleed their workers dry.”
