Workers at seven stations operated by the Cairo Drinking Water and Wastewater Company staged protests and marches demanding permanent contracts for temporary workers and the incorporation of overdue raises dating back to 2016.
At the same time, bill collectors in four branches continued to refuse to collect payments, according to three workers who spoke to Al Manassa.
The workers coordinated protests at the Zeitoun, Heliopolis, 10th District, Ain El-Sira, Maasara, and Bahtim stations, as well as at the Rod El-Farag station, which houses the headquarters of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater.
One worker, who asked not to be named, told Al Manassa that Wednesday’s actions marked the start of a broader wave of protests expected inside the Cairo water company. He said he expected the movement to spread to other governorates, as happened during the 2025 wave of protests.
Workers were seen marching and chanting within the station premises in videos reviewed by Al Manassa.
Mostafa El-Sheemy, Chairman of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, during his meeting with protesting workers, July 1, 2026A second worker, who also asked not to be named, told Al Manassa that as the protests continued, bill collectors in the Matareya, Zeitoun, Ain Shams, and Bahtim branches refused to collect payments.
They gathered their collection devices and stood around them, chanting for permanent contracts and the incorporation of raises.
In June, bill collectors and meter readers at the Cairo Drinking Water and Wastewater Company branches in Bahtim, Heliopolis, and the 10th District also refused to collect payments, demanding permanent contracts and the incorporation of raises.
Mostafa El-Sheemy, chairman of the Holding Company for Drinking Water and Wastewater, tried to calm workers who had gathered outside his office and asked them for time to study the matter, a third worker told Al Manassa . The workers rejected his attempts and demanded that he implement their demands immediately, he said.
The Holding Company for Water and Wastewater’s official Facebook page published a post saying El-Sheemy met with several company employees and discussed the latest developments on issues of concern to them, particularly the raises.
El-Sheemy said raises were under study and receiving “the highest-level” of attention. He said he had presented the proposal to the relevant ministerial committee and that procedures were being finalized before submission for approval.
The sources who spoke to Al Manassa said the statement was repetitive and offered nothing new, describing the promises as rhetoric meant to contain workers’ anger.
Company workers staged similar protests in November 2025 across dozens of company sites for about 15 days, demanding the incorporation of overdue raises dating back to 2016, payment of tax differences deducted from them at a higher rate than owed, higher allowances, and permanent contracts for temporary workers.
