Meter readers and bill collectors at the Qanater El Kheireya branch of the Qalyoubia Water and Wastewater Company held a protest Wednesday, demanding comprehensive employment contracts and the application of the minimum wage.
Agents paid on a commission basis took action, backed by colleagues who work under agency contracts as both groups have the same demands, Mohamed Daoud, spokesperson for Qalyoubia's collectors, told Al Manassa.
Protesters also object to a 90% collection rate target stipulated in their contracts, described as “impossible to achieve,” according to one worker who spoke to Al Manassa on condition of anonymity.
“The system dissipates wages. Collectors under both systems earn no more than 6,000 Egyptian pounds (around $116) a month,” he said.
The worker also called for salaries to be disbursed in a single payment instead of the current system which is divided into two payments; one for transportation allowance and one tied to achieved collection rates.
Protesters further demanded equal job classification to that of permanently appointed company staff. The protest comes amid a series of moves around the same demands, including one held in April in Qaha branch where readers and collectors objected the exclusion of agency-contracted workers from annual profit distributions for 2025, and low bonuses awarded to commission-based staff.
They had also called for comprehensive employment contracts and enforcement of the minimum wage.
At the time, workers told Al Manassa that management had forced them the previous year to sign agency contracts under the label of a “unified employment contract,” replacing the commission-based arrangements under which they had worked for years. Some said they signed under pressure, citing threats of dismissal or being referred to National Security, while others refused to sign.
In March 2025, commission-based collectors and readers staged coordinated protests across branches in Qalyoubia, including Qanater El-Khairiya, El-Khusus, Shubra El-Kheima, and Banha, demanding the application of the then-minimum wage of 7,000 Egyptian pounds and the introduction of comprehensive employment contracts. The protests followed similar actions earlier in Qalyoubia, Aswan, and Giza.
A meeting is scheduled for Saturday with Mohamed Fouda, head of company, bringing together representatives of both commission-based workers and staff employed on agency contracts from branches across the governorate, Daoud added.
