Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Demonstrations all around Egypt protesting high prices

Egypt has witnessed mass demonstrations protesting their low wages and the great increase in prices of basic commodities in more than five governorates yesterday.

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Egypt has witnessed mass demonstrations protesting their low wages and the great increase in prices of basic commodities in more than five governorates yesterday.
 
More than 2300 workers in “Andorama textile” company in Monufeya governorate organized a strike yesterday protesting the company’s decision of decreasing the workers’ yearly bonus in time where everyone in Egypt suffers the price inflation.
 
Gharbeya governorate also witnessed great demonstrations where nearly 10,000 workers in Mahalla textile company have protested against increasing prices, low salaries and the government"s immobility after unprecedented high price.
 
The demonstrators demanded a quick positive response from the government or else the demonstrations would become a hunger strike as the one Egypt witnessed three decades ago.
 
Al-Mahalla demonstrators stood infront of the company gates where they were joined by Kefaya members, representatives of political parties, and hundreds of Mahalla citizens.
 
50 nurses in Fayoum governorate demonstrated yesterday protesting their low wages as well.
 
On the other hand, workers in “Canal Ropes” company in Port Said governorate threatened the company of a huge strike, because it failed to fulfill its promises of raising salaries and bonus for its workers by last January.
 
Abdul-Latif Mwafi, chief of workers union, said that the workers agreed on beginning a total strike last January. However, the company owners gave promises of fulfilling all the workers’ demands to stop that strike.
 
Adding that more than a month passed and nothing happened concerning their demands.
 
Lawyers of legal affairs in an electricity company in Ismailia governorate threatened the company of more escalation in case their wages and bonuses were not raised soon.
 
Egyptians have been hit by a series of continuous price increases, especially since the beginning of last year, and according to the World Bank, more than 20 percent of Egypt ’s 75 million people live under the poverty line. However, the government does not have any positive reaction towards such problems, and the only response witnessed is cordoning off protestors by police officers and even detaining them sometimes.