The Supreme State Security Prosecution renews the detention of 2 workers from “Ghazl El Mahalla” due to “minimum wage” strike

On Sunday, April 21, 2024, Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo considered the renewal of detention for Wael Abu Zouid and Mohamed Mahmoud Talba who works at Misr Spinning and Weaving Company (Ghazl El Mahalla). They were arrested due to their participation in the strike conducted by the company’s workers in protest against not being included in the decision to increase the minimum wage. ‎ Later, the Prosecution decided to renew their pretrial detention for 15 days pending investigations.

The defense team, including a lawyer from the Egyptian Center, attended the hearing, asserting the lack of evidence of their involvement in the charges against them, especially since the workers announced the end of their peaceful strike. They demanded the immediate release of them without guarantees.

At the end of last March, the Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of the two workers for 15 days pending the case, and on March 10, the workers’ lawyers were unable to attend the hearing for several other company workers, due to not being informed of the whereabouts of their defendants until after the hearing. It was later revealed that they were detained in the 10th of Ramadan prison.

It is worth mentioning that a number of workers were summoned by security forces since February 29, following the end of their one-week strike. They returned to work on February 29, after the Minister of Public Enterprises included them in the decision to raise the minimum wage to 6,000 pounds monthly. However, some of them appeared before the State Security Prosecution in case No. 717 of 2024, charged with joining an illegal group and spreading false news and rumors, while the company management issued warnings of dismissal to some them, and others remain forcibly disappeared since that date.