Press release
Geneva – April 21, 2024
Employees at the Aswan Water and Sanitation Company organized a protest on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024, demanding permanent employment contracts and fair changes to contractual terms that align with Egypt’s rising cost of living.
Earlier, a number of employees staged a protest on Sunday, April 14th, inside the company’s headquarters in Aswan, which was dispersed following assurances from the National Security that their demands would be met, a promise that was not fulfilled, leading to another protest yesterday outside the company’s gate.
These employees work on temporary contracts under a commission-based system, receiving variable wages based on a 5% collection rate. The company recently increased the collection rate from due invoices to 85%, which is
considered high and makes it difficult for employees who cannot achieve this rate to receive monthly bonuses.
Additionally, the company provides a daily transportation allowance of 15 Egyptian pounds, while employees earn an average monthly wage ranging from 1800 to 2200 Egyptian pounds, below the minimum wage threshold. The company is also accused of ignoring the insurance rights of collection employees according to Unified Social Insurance and Pensions Law No. 48 of 2019.
CFJ demands that the company’s management cease reliance on security solutions and halt the National Security’s handling of protests by its collection employees. They urge the company to open positive dialogue channels with the employees, fulfill their fair demands, and ensure they receive fair job placement and rightful insurance rights as mandated by law.
