On Saturday, journalists at Al-Wafd newspaper reached an agreement with the party’s leadership to implement their demand for the minimum wage, following a four-day sit-in at the party headquarters. Khaled Elbalshy, Journalists Syndicate president, described this outcome in a Facebook post as “a victory for Al-Wafd and its journalists.”
Last Tuesday, reporters, administrative staff, and workers at Al-Wafd began an open-ended sit-in at the party headquarters, demanding the minimum wage of 7,000 pounds. They were later joined by several pensioners demanding overdue payments. A delegation from the Journalists Syndicate, including Elbalshy and board members Mahmoud Kamel and Eman Ouf, came to the sit-in to express solidarity.
According to a copy of the agreement reviewed by Al Manassa, negotiations were held “in accordance with the Labor Law” between Al-Wafd Party President and newspaper chairperson Abdel-Sanad Yamama; the Journalists Syndicate, headed by Elbalshy; and the General Union for Journalism, Printing, Media, Culture, and Antiquities, represented by Al-Wafd’s trade union committee chair Mohamed Adel. MP Ayman Mohsab, a member of the party’s Executive Committee, also attended.
The negotiation resulted in an agreement to “implement the minimum wage of 7,000 pounds for all Al-Wafd employees, with an increase of no less than 3,000 pounds to be paid immediately as part of the September salary, with the insurance authorities notified accordingly.”
The agreement also stipulates that all Al-Wafd employees will receive an additional 500 pounds pay rise starting January 2026, and that overdue pension payments will be disbursed that same month.
Through this agreement, Al-Wafd journalists and staff achieved the main goal of the sit-in: ensuring that the minimum of any pay-rise would be EGP 3,500, in order to account for differences in years of service and avoid “wage disparities.”
Monica Ayad, secretary general of Al-Wafd’s trade union committee, explained to Al Manassa that this adjustment will raise the salaries of newly appointed employees to the minimum wage level while improving the pay of veteran journalists and administrative staff. She noted that it is unreasonable for a journalist who has been working at the paper for 25 years to still be earning around 7,000 pounds.
Wages at Al-Wafd have remained notably low, with around 65% of the newspaper’s roughly 350 journalists, administrative staff, and workers earning no more than 3,500 pounds. Many of them therefore have resorted to taking out loans to meet their families’ basic financial needs, according to accounts shared with the Journalists Syndicate delegation.
In a previous statement to Al Manassa, Syndicate board member Eman Ouf said the union is preparing to launch a campaign to enforce the minimum wage across all press institutions. She added that the Syndicate is also discussing ways to help media institutions develop their content and operations, providing technical and logistical support to help them establish sustainable sources of revenue.
