The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented the announcement made by workers of Ceramica Inova (formerly Al-Fara’ena) in the Kom Oshim industrial zone in Fayoum, entering a work strike on Tuesday, 10 June 2025, in protest against the delay in receiving contributions from the Ministry of Labour’s Emergency Aid Fund for Workers for wages of last April, as well as the complete delay of May salaries.
According to testimonies from the workers, the striking employees are also demanding an annual raise of no less than EGP 1,200, and the implementation of a minimum wage of EGP 7,000, amidst the difficult living conditions they face.
Workers reported that company management refrained from providing transportation buses for the second shift workers from their homes in various centers of Fayoum governorate, as well as Cairo and Giza governorates, to the workplace, in an attempt to prevent them from joining the strike.
It is worth noting that since January 2025, the Emergency Aid Fund for Workers has been covering one-third of the workers’ salaries at the company, amounting to EGP 4 million monthly out of total wages totaling EGP 12 million, while the company was responsible for paying the remaining EGP 8 million.
This decision came after a meeting between company owner Mohamed Fouzy and Fayoum Governor Ahmed El-Ansary, during which the former complained about the company’s financial difficulties and its inability to pay salaries due to accumulated debts owed to electricity, gas, and water companies.
The CFJ reaffirms solidarity with the strike of workers at Ceramica “Inova”, stressing their right to strike as a constitutional and human right aimed at obtaining their delayed financial entitlements. The committee also expresses deep concern over the ongoing deterioration of the company’s financial situation, and calls on the relevant authorities and the Egyptian Ministry of Labour to intervene urgently to resolve the crisis, disburse outstanding payments, and meet the workers’ legitimate demands, emphasizing the necessity of protecting workers’ rights and upholding their dignity amid prevailing difficult economic conditions.
