Over 3,000 Egypt Gas workers continue to strike nationwide

Over 3,000 workers at the state-owned Egypt Gas Company have continued with their general strike for a second consecutive day on Wednesday. These workers have been demanding overdue promotions, pay raises, and parity with workers employed in other state-owned petroleum companies.

Other demands presented by striking employees of the Egypt Gas Company include full-time contracts, and ending the practice of precarious labor contracting. 

Beginning on Sunday as a partial strike in some branches of the Egypt Gas Company, this industrial action is presently reported to have turned into a general strike affecting all 28 branches of the company.

Islam al-Kheshen, a striking worker employed at Egypt Gas headquarters in Cairo, told Mada Masr, "Since 2011, our administration has been pledging that we would all be granted promotions within the company in light of our years of service and experience. However, these pledges have turned out to be empty promises, mere painkillers to keep us quiet. We're tired of all these false promises and painkillers."

"Our principle demand is that we have an official timetable for promotions linked to our years of service. We demand parity with other employees of state-owned petroleum companies, as they are being promoted in light of their seniority, while we are denied this right," Kheshen added.

This worker went on to claim, "The state-controlled union, the General Union of Petroleum Industry Employees, is not siding with us. Only our independent union is championing our demands."

As of Wednesday, meetings between striking workers and officials from Egypt Gas, the Holding Company for Petroleum Industries, and the Ministry of Manpower proved unfruitful. 

Workers claim their demands are being ignored, while Egypt Gas administrators claim that striking workers are incurring millions of pounds worth of losses with their work-stoppages.

Kheshen commented, "The company would not be incurring these losses if it had respected our rights, and fulfilled the promises it had made to us."

The striking worker added, "We just want our overdue promotions for the time being. We are willing to wait for the payment of our bonuses, pay-raises and profit-shares. We are willing to compromise. If the company administration recognizes our promotions within the company, we can reach an agreement by which to call of our strikes."

Strikers at Egypt Gas Company branches have been motivated to strike by claims that administrators are planning to extend the duration of employment prior to promotion. Some media reports suggest that each promotion would be extended by a period of two or three years.

The media spokesperson at the Egypt Gas Company headquarters in Imbaba, Cairo could not be reached for clarification regarding these claims.

"I've been working at this company for five years now. My promotion is now overdue. Nonetheless, we've been told that we'll have to work a total of 10 years before we receive our first promotion. This is exactly the opposite of what administrators had promised us several years ago," Kheshen concluded.   

Several labor rights organizations expressed their solidarity with the strikers at Egypt Gas, in statements issued on Tuesday and Wednesday. These statements issued by the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services, along with the Independent Federation of Petroleum Employees, among other groups, called on Egypt Gas to respect the promises it had made to its workers.

These statements also called on the Ministry of Manpower and other state authorities to recognize independent trade unions as legitimate representatives of workers.