The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has confirmed that workers at the El-Nasr for Fine Wool and Textiles Company in Alexandria (“Steya”) are facing difficult health conditions due to the continued refusal of health insurance hospitals in Alexandria to provide them with medical services for several months—except after monthly data updates—because the Cotton, Spinning and Weaving Holding Company has not settled its outstanding debts to the Health Insurance Authority.
According to a number of company workers, they submitted simultaneous complaints to the Cabinet, pointing out that their health insurance subscriptions are still deducted from their monthly salaries, yet treatment services are no longer available through their personal insurance books. Instead, they are required to go through the process of updating their card information every month as a prerequisite for receiving any medical service.
“Steya” is one of the companies affiliated with Misr for Spinning and Weaving, which was integrated within the restructuring plan of the textile sector launched by the state in 2021. In June 2021, the Extraordinary General Assembly of Kafr El-Dawar approved the merger of four affiliated companies, including “Steya”, as part of the national development plan for the industry.
There had been promises from the head of the General Union, Abdel Fattah Ibrahim, that health services would resume for workers on May 11th of this year. However, one worker reported that when he visited Al-Amal General Hospital (Gamal Abdel Nasser Hospital) in Alexandria last Tuesday evening, suffering from urinary retention, he was denied treatment through his insurance booklet. The hospital administration demanded that he first update his data, forcing him to pay the same registration fee as uninsured patients. A temporary catheter was inserted, pending a surgical procedure whose cost he cannot afford.
The CFJ views the continuation of this situation as a clear violation of the basic rights of workers, especially in the field of healthcare. The committee stresses that the deduction of insurance contributions from wages without providing the corresponding services constitutes an evasion of obligations towards workers.
Therefore, the CFJ calls for urgent intervention by the concerned authorities to settle the accumulated debts owed by the holding company, permanently reinstate “Steya” workers into the health insurance system, put an end to burdensome monthly renewal procedures, and hold accountable those responsible for deepening the suffering of these workers.
