Thirteen journalists at the EgyptKE news website filed a complaint with the labor office Monday after management cut their monthly pay to 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($60) for a three-day workweek, one of the affected journalists told Al Manassa.
Widespread financial precarity has gripped Egypt’s private media sector, sparking protests over pay and job security at major outlets like Al-Bawaba News and Al-Wafd. A recent Journalists Syndicate survey reveals that many reporters earn less than 3,000 pounds a month—or receive no salary at all—prompting growing demands for the state to enforce the legal minimum wage.
The EgyptKE complaint follows months of repeated pay cuts, failed negotiations, and the departure of five journalists, with salaries falling from 7,000 to 9,000 pounds ($140 to $180) to 3,000 pounds ($60) since the start of 2026. Management denies that salaries were cut.
Before filing the labor complaint, the journalists also submitted a memo to the website’s management seeking an amicable solution that “preserves the institution’s standing, and protects journalists’ rights.” They said they would pursue legal and union complaints if no agreement could be reached.
The memo, addressed to the website’s executive director, Kaswaa Elkhelaly, said the July decision was management’s fourth pay cut and was imposed without prior consultation or negotiation with the journalists.
A series of pay cuts
The dispute began in 2025 when the website’s management promised staff employment contracts and social insurance, as they had been told when they joined, the journalist told Al Manassa. Those steps were never taken, he said. Instead, management adopted a series of policies that repeatedly cut salaries.
The journalist, who asked not to be named, said pay cuts began early this year, when staff were told their salaries, then ranging from 7,000 to 9,000 pounds ($140 to $180), would be reduced by 1,000 pounds ($20). Management cited “emergency circumstances” but provided no detailed explanation.
At the end of March, the journalists were informed of a second attempt to immediately slash their salaries by 60%. They objected, and management withdrew the decision after several days of negotiations, according to the journalist.
He said the attempt prompted five journalists to leave the website, either by resigning or after management terminated their employment.
Later, around the time the website was blocked in April, management again told the journalists their salaries would be cut by another 1,000 pounds, bringing pay to about 5,000 pounds ($100), according to the source.
Management moved to cut salaries a fourth time at the end of July. Deputy Editor-in-Chief Mahmoud Fayed told staff they would be paid 3,000 pounds ($60) for working three days a week. The move prompted widespread objections, after which the journalists submitted a memo to management and some filed a complaint with the labor office.
Al Manassa contacted Fayed, who denied there was a crisis at the website and said he did not “believe” there was such a dispute. He said journalists’ salaries had increased and denied reports that they had been cut.
When asked about the complaint filed with the labor office, Fayed said he “did not know the details of the dispute,” although the affected journalist said Fayed himself had informed staff of management’s latest decision to cut pay to 3,000 pounds. Fayed did not respond to subsequent requests for comment.
Failed negotiations lead to formal complaint
According to the journalist, staff tried to negotiate with management after being informed of the latest decision. Management engaged with them and showed some flexibility during the talks, while the journalists proposed reducing the workweek to two days in exchange for the lower salary, allowing them to work elsewhere. The negotiations ended without an agreement.
According to the memo, the journalists demanded that management consult them before making major decisions affecting pay or working conditions and that they receive their financial and legal entitlements under labor law.
They also demanded that any payments owed be calculated based on their originally agreed salaries, along with all legal and financial entitlements, including unpaid wages, unused leave, and any other benefits required by law, if the pay cuts remain in place or their employment ends.
The journalist said some of those involved in the negotiations later discovered that Elkhelaly, the website’s executive director, had removed them from the internal WhatsApp work group. A screenshot reviewed by Al Manassa showed several journalists being removed from the group.
Al Manassa also reviewed a message sent by the website’s management to one journalist informing him that his services were being terminated.
Article 16 of the 2018 Press and Media Regulation Law, Law No. 180, prohibits dismissing a journalist or media worker without first investigating them, notifying the relevant union of the reasons for dismissal, and allowing 60 days from the date of notification for the union to attempt mediation between the worker and employer.
The journalist’s salary and benefits may not be suspended during that period. If mediation fails, the provisions of labor law governing dismissal apply.
