IFFCO Company for Oils in the Northern industrial zone west of the Gulf of Suez witnessed an incident in which security forces broke into it on the dawn of last Monday and arrested 12 labour leaders from the company.

Security forces entered the factory and forcibly dispersed a sit in, arresting 12 workers and forced the rest of the workers to leave the factory. This raises the number of workers arrested to 14 after security forces had arrested two labour leaders from the company a few days ago accusing them of calling for a strike.

Workers of the company had entered into a strike after the administration refused to unify the inflation raise and after the decision to hand out a raise of 20% of the total wage of workers and 15% to the administrators and managers. They demanded that the company hand out an equal sum to all since the wages of workers are meager compared to the wages of workers in the administration which is what the workers viewed as a baise against them for the administration.

The Center for Trade Union and Worker Services announces its full solidarity with the legitimate demands of the workers for their rights and to negotiate them. It also denounces the incident of breaking into the factory and arresting the workers and asks officials to use negotiations as a sole way to reach the required solutions that include the workers getting their full rights. CTUWS warns that the repressive method that the authorities are using to face the labour movement will only lead to more tension and escalating anger among the ranks of workers.