Tag: damietta

Damietta residents united against Agrium plant construction

Posted on By 3arabawy

From the Daily News Egypt:

The entire gamut of civil society in Damietta remains opposed to the construction of the Agrium fertilizer plant on the outskirts of the popular tourist destination Ras El Bar.
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The proposed site of the factory falls in this direction, right outside the gates of Ras El Bar, six kilometers from the nearest residential area. If Ras El Bar — a popular tourist destination for Egyptians — is to expand, it would find the factory in its path.
Residents of Damietta are angry about the plant being built so close to their homes, and a local movement has been organized to lobby for its relocation.
Aside from the environmental concerns, there is also a concern over the impact on tourism in the area, which is a vital source of revenue.
Nasser El Emary, head of the popular committee opposing the construction of the plant, told Daily News Egypt that he possesses 400 documents on why the plant should not be built in its present location.
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Lawyers in Damietta went on strike Thursday to protest what they perceived as government dillydallying over the fate of the project and possibly ignoring the wishes of the local residents.
Additionally, 150 representatives of NGOs, trade unions and activists signed a petition that also reflected the united stance of Damietta residents against the plants’ proposed location.

“The strikes are a new fashion threatening all of Egypt’s companies”

Posted on By 3arabawy

The Tanta Flax and Oils Company workers scored a victory, suspending their sit-in after they achieved most of their demands.
And as soon as this dispute was settled, 700 textile workers went on strike in Damietta Spinning and Weaving Company demanding their annual profit shares. The chairman of the company, is quoted by Al-Masry Al-Youm as saying: “Strikes have become a fashion that threatens the Egyptian factories”

More details could also be found in this AFP report:

Egypt struggled Tuesday to stem a rising tide of industrial action as officials rushed to end the third strike in a week, the latest challenge to President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
Labour ministry officials met employee representatives at the Damietta Spinning and Weaving Co to come to an agreement just 24 hours after workers kicked off their strike, the official MENA news agency said.
Labour Minister Aisha Abdel Hadi told reporters she was eager to “protect the interests and rights of the workers.”
On Saturday, some 24,000 workers at the Mahalla Spinning and Weaving Co ended their strike over unpaid profit shares and low wages after the government agreed to meet their demands.
The same pattern followed at the Tanta Linseed and Oil factory, where hundreds of workers struck to demand unpaid profit shares, with their demands swiftly met.
“The strikes are a new fashion threatening all of Egypt’s companies,” the chairman of the Damietta factory told the independent daily al-Masry al-Youm.