Nasr Coke Company workers went on strike and staged an open-ended sit-in at the company's headquarters in Helwan on Tuesday to demand profit shares and the dismissal of the chairman for the Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries.
A source speaking on condition of anonymity said production stopped completely when the management ignored the workers' demands.
The source added that Zaki Bassiouni, Chairman of the Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries, told the workers that the Nasr Coke Company is indebted to the Iron and Steel Company, although it has been the other way around for many years.
The source explained that the holding company reduced the price for a ton of coal from LE3,000 to LE1,800, in favor of the Iron and Steel Company, indebting a company that has made profits for many years.
He also said that the batteries for the ovens have worn out, which could be dangerous, accusing the officials of deliberately sabotaging the company.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
