Management at Misr El Amria Spinning & Weaving Company in Alexandria has suspended production indefinitely, attributing the shutdown to maintenance and a warehouse inventory stocktake. Workers who spoke to Al Manassa described the move as a punitive attempt to break a 12-day strike after employees refused to return to work until their labor demands are met.
The strike erupted on July 28 after management decided to calculate a 12% special allowance based on basic pay rather than the social insurance wage. Workers contend this violated an explicit pledge by CEO Mohamed Abdel Salam to benchmark the allowance at 7% of the social insurance wage.
On Saturday morning, the company locked its gates to employees who traveled to the factory at their own expense following management's decision to suspend company-provided transportation. A group of workers went to the Amria Police Station to file an official incident report and plan to submit formal complaints to the Hanoville Labor Office, according to three employees who spoke to Al Manassa on condition of anonymity.
A video reviewed by Al Manassa showed a heavy police presence surrounding the factory complex, reinforced by Central Security Forces vehicles.
One worker noted that management distributed the shutdown notice on Friday evening, though the order retroactively stated that the closure took effect at the end of Thursday's night shift. Throughout the strike, he added, managers repeatedly threatened to shutter the plant if the walkout continued.
“We were explicitly told that they would shut the company if the strike continued, and that we’d get nothing but our basic salaries, no allowances, no production incentive, and no effort allowance. But our position was firm: no production until we get our rights,” the worker said.
Misr El Amria notifies workers of the decision to stop operationsThe decision, a copy of which was reviewed by Al Manassa, limits attendance to workers called in for maintenance and inventory work while continuing to pay salaries and wages “as prescribed by law and on their scheduled dates.”
A second worker said employees understood the wording of the decision, particularly the reference to salaries, as a message that their pay would be affected by the shutdown to punish them for continuing the strike despite pressure from management and the union committee.
Some employees were threatened during the strike with being reported to National Security if they did not end their protest, a third worker said. “I was one of the people threatened by legal affairs officials. I told them, the workers are right in front of you. If you can convince them to end the strike, do it. The workers have demands and are asking for their rights. Meet those demands, and the strike will end without threats or pressure,” he added.
Ashraf El-Sherbiny, legal adviser to the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services, said Article 111 of Labor Law No. 14 of 2025 states that if an employee reports to the workplace on time and prepared to work but is prevented from doing so by the employer, the worker is legally considered to have performed their duty and remains entitled to full compensation. If an act of force majeure beyond the employer's control halts operations, the worker is entitled to half-pay.
El-Sherbiny stressed that a company-declared closure for routine maintenance and stocktaking does not constitute force majeure. The timing and framing of the decision, coinciding directly with the walkout, indicate an effort to penalize striking workers—a fact he urged employees to document in their filings with the Labor Office.
He added that Misr El Amria employees remain legally entitled to their full salaries without deductions throughout the duration of the shutdown.
Misr El Amria Spinning & Weaving has seen several labor protests in recent months. In April, workers went on strike for six days demanding higher hazard pay, a 25% increase in basic pay to match engineers, and corrections to what they described as “violations in implementing the minimum wage.” They later suspended the strike after the company’s CEO promised to meet their demands.
Workers also went on strike in late February over a sudden increase in payroll deductions. The strike continued until March 3, when they suspended it after meeting with the company’s CEO, who promised to consider their demands for higher wages and allowances.
In 2025, company workers staged a 16-day strike over what they described as “manipulation” in applying the minimum wage. The strike led to the resignation of former CEO Ahmed Amr Ragab. Workers suspended the strike after pressure and threats of dismissal and being reported to National Security, as well as what they described as “successful negotiations” that secured several of their demands.
