Shourbagy Textile Workers in Helwan Strike to Demand Fair Wages and Better Working Conditions
Cairo – April 30, 2025
Over 500 workers at the Shourbagy Textile Factory, part of the Helwan Textile Complex, have entered their second day of open-ended strike action, demanding better wages, fair treatment, and the reinstatement of Saturday as a paid weekly day off.
The striking workers are calling for:
• A 37% increase in the production bonus
• Raising the meal allowance from EGP 210 to EGP 600
• Permanent contracts for over 140 temporary workers, most of whom are women
• The reinstatement of Saturday as a paid day off, after it was recently canceled by management, leaving Friday as the only weekly break
One of the participating workers, employed under a temporary contract for over ten years, stated that her total monthly income is just EGP 2,300, well below the official minimum wage of EGP 7,000. She is one of many temporary workers who have served the factory for years with no job security, low pay, and no access to social protection.
Permanent contract workers also confirmed that the factory, which used to operate with three shifts, now runs only a single shift due to outdated machinery and poor investment, while their average wages remain stagnant at around EGP 5,000.
Tensions have escalated further due to the dissolution of the factory’s union committee, and the subsequent ban on elected union leaders from entering the workplace, after the company decided to merge three state-owned textile companies at the administrative level, without equalizing workers’ benefits or consulting employees.
Workers had previously organized a protest in August 2024 to demand the same set of rights, including rejecting the forced union dissolution. However, no meaningful negotiations or resolutions have followed.
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Arab Trade Union Confederation Statement:
The Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC) expresses its full solidarity with the workers of Shourbagy Textile Company, and affirms that their demands are legitimate and urgent in the face of worsening labor conditions and violations of fundamental trade union rights.
ATUC calls on Egyptian authorities and the management of Helwan Textile Complex to:
• Immediately open social dialogue with elected worker representatives
• Respect the right to union organization and collective bargaining
• Comply with national labor laws and international standards on decent work
• Guarantee fair treatment and equal benefits for all workers impacted by the merger process
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