Workers at Misr Amreya Spinning & Weaving Co. in Alexandria criticized on Tuesday a official response from the provincial labor directorate regarding their collective complaint against management, accusing authorities of echoing corporate positions and failing to guarantee full wages during an indefinite plant shutdown.
Four factory workers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al Manassa that the Alexandria Labor Directorate’s written response failed to resolve their primary grievances regarding wage guarantees during the closure or rectify management’s calculation of special allowances under federal law.
The dispute follows management’s decision on Aug. 6 to suspend operations across all production departments indefinitely, citing “equipment maintenance and inventory counting.” Management closed factory doors and canceled company-provided buses, leaving workers stranded despite showing up for scheduled shifts.
Workers characterized the shutdown as unlawful retaliation for an ongoing strike that began in late July over allowance calculations, which preceded the factory shutdown by a few days.
Workers then filed formal complaints with the Hanoville Labor Office, the Smouha Labor Directorate, and the Amreya Police Station.
According to the directorate's official response, received by a worker representative on Tuesday, the company disbursed the legally mandated annual periodic allowance of 3% of the insured wage in January 2026, with a monthly minimum of 250 Egyptian pounds ($4.76).
The directorate added that management chose to pay an additional special allowance of 12% on the basic wage starting July 2026, folding 7% into the basic salary “to maintain parity with the spinning sector.”
Workers rejected the directorate's findings, stating its response merely repeated corporate memos and legitimized a clear violation of Law No. 75 of 2026.
Enacted on July 1 by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Law No. 75 grants state workers not covered by the Civil Service Law “a special allowance of 15% on basic salary, with a minimum monthly increase of 150 Egyptian pounds (around $3).”
For public and private sector firms, the law sets the special allowance at the difference between 15% and the annual periodic rate, consolidating the amount into basic wages.
“The directorate is telling us that management’s decision to calculate the allowance on the basic wage rather than the insured wage is correct,” a second worker told Al Manassa, pointing to explicit statutory language requiring calculations based on insured income.
The directorate’s document, reviewed by Al Manassa, noted that workers “retain full legal salary rights” during the suspension, referencing an internal Alexandria Labor Directorate letter dated Aug. 10.
However, workers stated they were not permitted to inspect the cited letter and criticized authorities for failing to formally designate the shutdown as a voluntary corporate action rather than force majeure.
Ashraf El-Sherbiny, legal counsel for the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services, affirmed to Al Manassa that Misr Amreya employees are legally entitled to their full unreduced compensation throughout the stoppage.
El-Sherbiny noted that conducting routine maintenance during an active labor dispute does not constitute an unavoidable emergency, confirming that the timing and phrasing of the closure order demonstrate an intent to penalize striking workers.
Employees also challenged the directorate’s determination that Misr Amreya staff are ineligible for a presidential cost-of-living allowance valued at 750 pounds ($14.28) per month.
“How are we not covered when we received the cost-of-living allowance twice before?” a fourth worker asked. “Why are our colleagues in other textile companies receiving it while we are denied?”
The current conflict stems from a late July strike triggered when CEO Mohamed Abdel Salam reneged on verbal commitments to calculate the 12% special allowance against insured wages.
Workers reported receiving threats from managers during the strike that National Security would be notified if protests continued, alongside warnings that the plant would be shuttered, a threat realized on Aug. 6.
The Alexandria manufacturing complex has experienced repeated labor unrest over wage stagnation and administrative non-compliance.
In February 2026, staff struck for six days over unexpected salary deductions, later suspending it on March 3 after meeting with the company’s CEO, who promised to consider their demands for higher wages and allowances.
In April 2026, workers staged another six-day strike demanding a 25% basic wage increase, higher hazard pay, and correction of minimum wage calculation errors. Once again, workers suspended the action following reiterated management promises.
Earlier in 2025, a 16-day strike over minimum wage “manipulation” had led to the resignation of former CEO Ahmed Amr Ragheb before workers suspended their walkout under threats of dismissal and national state security prosecution.
