On Monday, February 10, the “Committee for Justice” (CFJ) recorded a strike by “Sedico” pharmaceutical company workers demanding an increase in the annual wage raise, ensuring that workers are not charged for the company’s two-week shutdown, and preventing any dismissals.
This strike follows the workers’ return from a forced leave imposed by the company’s management starting January 23 under the pretext of maintenance work, with the shutdown period deducted from their annual leave balance. The strike was triggered hours after workers organized a protest against the company’s decision to set the annual wage raise at only 22%, while they had demanded an increase to 35%.
According to a source in the company’s trade union committee, the management issued a notice on Sunday, February 9, announcing the completion of maintenance work and the resumption of operations. However, the workers decided to strike again after the management refused to meet their demands.
The source explained that a delegation from the trade union committee met with the company’s financial director ten days ago and presented the workers’ demands. However, the management failed to make any commitments. Instead, the financial director hinted at the chairman’s intention to dismiss several workers on the pretext that they had insulted him in a private Facebook group for employees—an allegation the chairman later denied in an official statement.
The dispute between the workers and the management dates back to last November when workers protested over wages. Negotiations at the time concluded with an agreement that management must consult workers beforehand regarding annual wage increases before announcing them, a commitment the company later disregarded.
In November, worker representatives, including trade union members, reached an agreement with the management to grant employees a quarterly bonus of 40% of the basic salary, to be paid by the end of 2024, with a deadline of January 5, 2025. Additionally, a 50% performance bonus was agreed upon, along with an extra 1,000 EGP for all employees in December, which was duly paid.
However, the company later refused to pay a bonus equivalent to one month’s basic salary, despite having achieved 75% of its annual sales target, which was the condition set for the payout, according to a trade union member. The management, however, claimed otherwise.
With the company’s continued intransigence and failure to meet agreed-upon demands, the workers persist in their strike amid concerns about potential retaliatory measures by the management in the coming period.
For its part, CFJ reaffirms full solidarity with the striking workers of “Sedico” pharmaceutical company, considering their strike a legitimate human right and a peaceful means of securing their financial entitlements. The committee also calls on the company’s management not to circumvent their demands, to implement the agreements made in November, and to halt all arbitrary measures and threats against the workers.
