Workers at Jade Textile Egypt ended their strike on Tuesday after a bargaining session, attended by Labor Minister Mohamed Gobran, produced an agreement to restructure wages based on years of service, several workers told Al Manassa.
The move followed a two-day walkout by thousands of workers who said the company’s 15% annual raise did not match living costs, and demanded higher pay.
Around 6,000 workers at the company’s 10th of Ramadan City factory, and thousands more at its Ismailia facilities, began a strike on Sunday calling for pay hikes, including raising monthly wages to a minimum of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($212). Workers said the company approved a 15% increase averaging about 800 pounds, while their pay does not exceed 6,500 pounds.
Negotiations between Jade Textile workers' representatives and management in the presence of Labor Minister Mohamed Gobran, Feb. 10, 2026A worker, who asked not to be named, said two workers who attended the negotiations told colleagues the company would issue a statement next week announcing the wage restructure and disbursing a previously approved 20% increase in the production bonus retroactively from January.
The Ministry of Labor said on Facebook the strike had ended and described the bargaining session as “successful,” without giving details, saying only there was a “comprehensive agreement” with management on “a package of serious measures” to improve working conditions.
Four other workers told Al Manassa many workers were dissatisfied because they expected clear figures for the wage increase and restructuring, but returned to work while waiting for the company to follow through. They said workers plan to strike again if it does not.
One of the workers said concerns also focused on representation, alleging most worker participants in the session were chosen by management, excluding strike organizers, and that many workers did not know the session was taking place.
The company had decided on Monday to impose a mandatory one-week leave, which workers described as an attempt to break the strike, before canceling the leave late that night. A worker told Al Manassa managers sent messages in WhatsApp groups confirming the cancellation and that buses would run Tuesday, but said many workers did not see the messages and stayed home.
During the strike, workers said managers threatened in WhatsApp groups to report them to National Security and dismiss them. They also said management refused to send buses on the second day, but workers reached the factory by taxi, forced company security to open the gates, and rejected efforts to make them sign declarations disavowing the strike.
Jade Textile Egypt, a sportswear manufacturer owned by Turkey’s Yeşim Group, operates in 10th of Ramadan City and Ismailia. It began manufacturing in Egypt in 2008 in Borg El Arab, opened its 10th of Ramadan factory in 2009, then expanded with additional facilities in Borg El Arab and Ismailia starting in 2018.
The group is a key supplier for the brands Nike, Under Armour, Tommy Hilfiger, and Lacoste, and manufactures all types of sportswear, including T-shirts, pants, hoodies, and shorts. The 10th of Ramadan Jade Textile plant is the largest in terms of production capacity.
