The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented a sit-in organized by a number of dismissed employees of the Agricultural Bank of Egypt at the bank’s main branch in Dokki on Tuesday. The sit-in reportedly continued for more than 10 hours, with participants demanding the revocation of decisions terminating their employment contracts and their reinstatement. According to statements from their colleagues, police forces escorted two of the participants to Dokki Police Station following a complaint filed by the bank’s management, before they were released in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to employees involved in the protest, the sit-in was conducted peacefully and did not disrupt the bank’s operations. They stated that the participants had previously notified the Presidency, the Ministry of Interior, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of their intention to stage the sit-in. The employees also indicated that they had requested a meeting with the bank’s chairman or one of his deputies but received no response. They explained that the protest followed more than a year of efforts to regain their jobs through meetings and protest actions calling for the reversal of the dismissal decisions.
According to the employees’ accounts, the dispute stems from employment termination decisions issued between 2020 and 2022, affecting approximately 2,000 employees, including some who had worked for the bank for more than 20 years. The dismissed workers stated that some of the decisions were implemented without prior notification or investigation. They also reported that the two employees taken to Dokki Police Station were informed that their statements would be forwarded to the bank’s management for consideration in efforts to resolve the dispute.
The Committee for Justice calls for a review of the circumstances of the dismissed employees and for ensuring their access to fair and effective legal grievance mechanisms. CFJ further stresses the importance of protecting their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and calls for the opening of a serious dialogue with the affected employees to examine the reasons behind the termination of their contracts and to resolve the cases of those found to have a legitimate claim to reinstatement.
