The army fired shots into the air on Saturday to prevent hundreds of employees of the Suez Canal Authority from storming the authority’s headquarters in Ismailia, eyewitnesses said.
For five days, several employees from the Suez Canal Authority in Ismailia, Suez and Port Said have protested to demand better salaries and working conditions.
An eyewitness told Reuters that employees were approaching the headquarters when an army officer fired around 15 shots into the air to disperse them and stop them crossing a small bridge that leads to the gates of the authority.
A Suez Canal Authority official said navigation in the canal was not affected.
Minister of Manpower Ahmed Hassan al-Borai will meet with representatives from seven companies affiliated to the Suez Canal Authority on Sunday discuss why the basic salary and annual bonuses of their employees have not been raised as agreed.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
