Port operator DP World, owned by Dubai World, on Saturday laid down several conditions for the resumption of work at Egypt's Sokhna Port.
Workers began a strike on Tuesday to press for hardship allowances, wage restructuring and the dismissal of managers accused of mistreatment, the official said.
DP's conditions include that workers continue working for 15 consecutive days to demonstrate their seriousness. They said an Egyptian government delegation should begin negotiations with the workers to ensure work proceeds regularly.
DP also called on the Egyptian government to protect its equipment at the port and said it will hold it responsible for any damage.
Mohamed Abdel Qader, head of the Red Sea Ports Authority, meanwhile, said negotiations are ongoing between the workers and the company. “The workers have strange demands,” he added, saying DP has responded to 14 of their 16 demands.
The two remaining demands – connected with restructuring their jobs – are in the hands of the mother company in Dubai.
Asked about DP's intentions to hire foreign workers, Abdel Qader said the ports authority and the government will not accept such a demand since the matter is related to national security issues. The ports authority is not biased toward either the workers or the company, he added.
He also said that the company’s losses are estimated at US$5 million a day, besides LE0.5 million in losses for the port as a result of the non-payment of entry fees.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
