Four armed forces personnel and several workers of the Ceramica Cleopatra company were injured during clashes between around 3,000 workers and the armed forces before the Suez governorate building.
The workers tried to cross barbed wire to break into the governorate, military sources said. Military personnel prevented them, causing the workers to hurl stones which led to injury of a military colonel.
Ahmed Salah Eddin, of the company’s union committee, said the workers were protesting after officials did not suspend a decision by Mohamed Abul Enein, the company owner, to close the factory. He said that the armed forces personnel beat them, which injured many of the workers.
The Ceramica Cleopatra workers, estimated at almost 5,500, were surprised on Thursday by Abul Enein’s decision not to send the buses that take them to work everyday due to intentions to close the factory.
They headed to the rally held by the Freedom and Justice Party’s presidential candidate Mohamed Morsy in Suez on Friday to ask that the issue be reviewed by Shura Council members who were attending the rally. However, no solutions have been found.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
