The management of Sukari gold mine in Upper Egypt fired 29 workers Tuesday, including members of the executive office of the independent workers’ union.
The move came in response to 1,200 workers going on strike to demand raises, housing stipends, and the application of a law that says bonuses must be provided for dangerous work.
The head of the independent union for mine workers, Maher Saad Eddin, said workers are continuing their strike in spite of a management decision not to pay them for the days spent sitting-in, in addition to the dismissals of their colleagues.
The Egyptian Democratic Labor Congress and the Center for Trade Unions and Workers' Service expressed solidarity with the demands of the mine workers, saying that the firing of union members is a setback to the trade unions freedoms that were promised by the government following the revolution.
The two organizations demanded in a joint statement Tuesday that all political forces show solidarity with the striking workers and other workers all over Egypt.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
