Workers are on strike for the eighth day… The Egyptian Center renews its readiness to provide legal support to “Universal” workers, and calls for the speedy payment of their dues
On Sunday, October 8, 2023, workers at Universal Home Appliances continued their strike inside the factory located in the industrial zone of 6th of October City, for the eighth consecutive day, due to the non-payment of their overdue wages from more than 4 months, in addition to not receiving incentives for nearly 3 years, and also not receiving a nature-of-work allowances for 5 years.
The company’s management filed a report against the striking workers on charges of joining a terrorist group, and on last Friday, October 6, 2023, 6 of them were investigated by the National Security sector affiliated with their workplace, then they were released on the same day without being charged.
The striking workers are demanding the speedy payment of their overdue salaries, in addition to incentives and allowances, and the return of more than 70 workers, including the members of the trade union committee, who were dismissed by the company’s management.
The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) had previously obtained dozens of rulings against “Universal” Company, which varied from rulings deciding the return of some workers to their jobs and paying their late financial dues, and rulings compensating them for arbitrary dismissal, which reached a total of 60 rulings before first-degree courts. There are still dozens of cases pending before various appeal courts after the appeal of the aforementioned company on these rulings.
The Center calls for an end to the workers’ injustice and their difficult and inhumane situation, especially in light of the poor economic conditions, despite their knocking on all possible doors to obtain their rights and late financial dues. ECESR renews its readiness to provide them with legal support.
The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) affirms that wage manipulation is not the only crisis that workers face, as they face a crisis in the absence of some occupational safety and health factors in the workplace, which led to the injury of a number of them with cirrhosis, kidney diseases, and limb injuries that led to its amputation, according to their affidavit.
ECESR expresses its concerns regarding the instability in the company’s wages and salaries system which resulted in stopping production in its factories and exposing workers to face poor living and material conditions which led to five suicide attempts among them, in addition to other crises.
