Ceramic factory workers have staged a protest outside the headquarters of the Suez governorate to demand the disbursement of late salaries.
"The company's chairman refused to disburse our salaries…We demand a solution to our crisis especially since many workers are experiencing difficult financial situations," said worker Khaled Abdel Rahman.
The Libyan chairman of the company backtracked on an agreement between him and the Petroleum Ministry wherein the chairman had agreed to pay the debts he owes to the ministry in installments.
After he backpedaled on the agreement, the ministry had to cut off the gas supply to the factory, an official source from the Suez local authorities said.
The company's chairman is using the protesting workers to pressure the ministry to resume gas supplies to the factory without paying the debts, the source added.
Dozens of workers at the Rock Ceramic Factory in Ain Sokhna gathered outside the office of the Manpower Ministry in the 24th of October City in Suez on Tuesday to protest shutting down the factory due to a shortage in natural gas.
The factory owes money to the company supplying natural gas, according to labor leader at the factory, Tamer Farag.
Natural gas was suspended by the end of July, he said. The natural gas company had asked the Rock Factory to pay its debts on July 27or it would cut the natural gas, Farag added.
The laborers were forced to take vacation from July 28 to August 1, he added.
The vacation was extended to August 9 on Wednesday.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
