Undeterred by arrests, home raids, and mounting pressure to return to work, dozens of Modern Gas workers are still holding a strike in some plants across Sohag, Qena, and Sharqiya, in a challenge to Egypt’s outsourced labor system.
At least 25 workers have been detained since the strike began on Nov. 25. Some are confirmed to be held at Sohag’s First Police Station, but the majority remain missing, their families and colleagues unaware of their whereabouts, according to workers on the scene who spoke to Al Manassa.
The strike began in the upper Egyptian governorate of Qena with demands to end subcontracting through the Arab Company for Supplies and Contracting. Workers are calling for direct contracts with Modern Gas, which would guarantee them basic labor protections.
By Nov. 26, the strike had spread to Sohag, then to Sharqiya and Badr City in Cairo.
A scene from the strike by Modern Gas workers, Nov. 25, 2025.Striking workers told Al Manassa their wages are already low—and are further slashed by the subcontractor, which takes more than 25% of their pay. They are denied sick leave, public holidays, and any form of social insurance.
“On Friday night, police forces stormed homes in Sohag and Qena and arrested around 15 workers,” said one striker, who asked not to be named.
By Sunday, management at the Gerga site refused to allow workers to clock in. “They told us: work or go to jail,” said another. “They threatened to fire 11 of us for inciting the strike. Some gave in and returned to work that evening. The same threats were made at other Sohag sites.”
Further south in Qena, workers were denied entry unless they agreed to resume work. “We stayed outside the gate in protest,” a third worker said. “Then police vans pulled up. Officers and plainclothes agents chased us down the street and arrested at least 10 workers.”
Despite these tactics, workers say the strike remains active at several sites in Upper Egypt, including Tahta, Sohag, Qena, as well as Sharqiya in the northeast of the country.
Still, coordination between sites has suffered. One worker told Al Manassa that management infiltrated their WhatsApp group, spreading fear that phones were being monitored.
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms has condemned the arrests, warning that the government’s failure to uphold labor laws emboldens private employers to violate workers’ rights without consequence.
The Center for Trade Union and Workers Services echoed the condemnation, rejecting the use of security forces against peaceful protest.
“Raiding workers’ homes and jailing them for demanding their rights is a grave abuse,” CTUWS said. It demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and urged the Petroleum Ministry and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company to permanently end the subcontracting system.
Modern Gas, which operates under the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, is a subsidiary of the state-run EGAS. The company was created through the merger of Regas, Sinai Gas, and Cairo Gas.
The company is responsible for household gas installation, maintenance, and infrastructure work, including projects in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital and Alamein City.
