Cairo - Khaled Hassanein
Negotiations are underway between management and workers
Work resumed at Faraglla processed food factories in Alexandria on Saturday after management let workers enter the production site, said Magdy Abdel-Salam, head of the independent workers’ union at
Faragalla Group.
Mohammed Farag Amer, chairman of the Faragalla Group, blamed workers for the dispute, claiming they had “blackmailed” him.
“It was impossible to carry on production in those conditions,” he added.
Abdel-Salam and 27 other workers have been arrested and put under investigation after managers accused them of inciting violence and destroying private property.
The 28 workers are restricted from entering the factory's premises, said the Egyptian Centre for Trade Union and Workers Services.
Farag Amer celebrated the news. “This is a warning against industrial violence and bullying in Egypt,” he said.
The group's management said the workers' syndicate had suspended its strike and negotiations were ongoing between management and workers on several issues, including higher wages, temporary employment and working hours.
The Faragalla Group employs 14,000 workers in three factories nationwide, encompassing 22 production lines.