Protests by workers at Cairo's Drinking Water Company showed no sign of abating Sunday, as employees continued demonstrations at more than 30 company sites for the fifth consecutive day, despite appeasement measures by management.
The holding company management issued a slew of 13 new decisions Saturday. However, workers say the measures fail to meet their core demands and accuse management of evading responsibility.
Sites affected included water networks, desalination plants, customer service branches, storage facilities, and the company’s main headquarters on Ramses Street. Speaking to Al Manassa, workers described the decisions as superficial and delayed, with many demands left unaddressed.
One worker said National Security officers were present at several protest locations, including Zeitoun, Heliopolis, and Nasr City, engaging with employees while chants rang out in the background.
The holding company had framed its 13 measures as part of a “motivational and organizational package” to enhance work conditions and stabilize employment across all affiliated companies.
Provisions included tax adjustments to be completed by Dec. 31, 2025; recognition of upgraded qualifications for staff who earned higher degrees during service; a separate excellence bonus for contract collectors; phased implementation of court-ordered bonuses; and studies to evaluate water and meal allowances based on each company's financial standing.
But workers tell Al Manassa these steps ignore the most urgent issues: the payment of backdated bonuses since 2016, the regularization of temporary workers, and the dismissal of Deputy Chairman for Financial and Administrative Affairs Ali Amasha.
“Management is pushing us to continue protesting. We're still being forced to file lawsuits just to claim bonuses we’re legally owed,” one worker said. “Some employees have had rulings in their favor for five years that have never been enforced. Now they say they 'might' pay if the company can afford it.”
Another worker criticized the decision to restrict the excellence bonus only to collectors under a specific contract type, excluding permanent employees and other staff, which he said has deepened feelings of inequality and provoked greater unrest.
Video footage from the protests captured chants such as “Housing Minister, our rights have been lost for years,” and “We won’t leave until Amasha does.”
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The unrest has escalated, spreading to six water plants and numerous network hubs and service branches. Until Saturday, only three plants had joined the strike.
The 13-point decision package also promised: adherence to staff regulations for temporary contracts; updated transportation allowances; restricted referral to legal affairs without direct managerial approval; elimination of biometric clock-out requirements for collectors; and the right to medical visits without mandatory return-to-work obligations, capped at two per month.
Last Thursday, acting Chairman Ahmed Gaber met with protesters in the Amiriya and Zeitoun branches and pledged to implement their demands gradually—a promise many workers dismissed as hollow.
One worker previously told Al Manassa that meter readers and collectors had begun their protest over a week earlier by halting collections, slashing the company's daily revenues by as much as 80%. Collection supervisors, initially compelled to fill in for strikers, joined the action on Saturday.
Workers say the root of their frustration is chronically low pay. With bonuses unmerged and wage scales failing to reflect years of service, veteran employees with 20 to 30 years of tenure now earn salaries nearly identical to new hires.
Staff also cited major disparities between workers in Cairo's water company and those in the national holding company, whose salaries are often 3,000 to 4,000 Egyptian pounds higher.
Similar protests have swept the sector in recent months. In July, Alexandria’s water company workers staged coordinated demonstrations at treatment plants and service branches to demand retroactive bonuses dating back to 2016.
In March, commission-based meter readers and bill collectors in Qalyubia province held simultaneous protests in multiple towns, calling for minimum wage enforcement and formalized employment contracts.
As protests grow and demands remain unmet, Cairo's water workers appear determined to keep the pressure on.
