Hundreds of workers at the Toshiba El Araby factory in Banha on Wednesday resumed blocking the Cairo-Alexandria Road in protest against the management, which workers claim is refusing to compensate the family of their colleague who died from electric shock on the job.
The worker was fatally shocked while testing a motor at the factory. He was transferred to a private hospital in Banha, where a medical report was written stating that the worker died due to negligence, meaning that his family lost the right to financial compensation. When his colleagues spoke out against the report, another report was written saying that death resulted from a work injury.
After the funeral, workers gathered in front of the factory and blocked the Cairo-Alexandria Road for almost an hour on Tuesday. They resumed their blockade Wednesday morning.
In a statement on Tuesday, Medhat al-Araby, a member of the Toshiba El Araby Group’s board, denied that the protesters were demanding of payment to the family of their deceased colleague.
Instead, he said they were gathering in solidarity with their deceased colleague, and that then a false rumor had begun circulating about the coroner’s report.
“The worker’s death resulted from an electric shock,” Araby said, adding that “some of the board members met with the workers to know reasons of their protest.”
“We never refuse our workers’ rights. It is Araby group’s duty toward our workers,” he said, adding that the group hadn’t fired any workers since the 25 January revolution and always pays all salaries and benefits as scheduled.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
