On April 27, workers at Misr El Amria Spinning & Weaving Co. suspended a strike initiated on April 23, 2026, over outstanding financial entitlements. The decision followed promises from the company’s acting chief executive to meet their demands in May 2026, according to two workers who spoke to Al Manassa.
Workers in the finishing department had gone on strike to demand an increase in hazard pay and a 25% salary raise on basic pay, in line with higher degree holders. They also called for correcting the mechanisms for applying the minimum wage and increasing the finishing incentive to 700 Egyptian pounds (about $13).
Additionally, workers demanded raising hazard pay from 375 pounds (about $7) to 500 pounds (about $10) and approving an annual seniority increase of 100 pounds (about $2) for each year of service. They further called for terminating the company’s contracts with consultants and department heads who, according to workers speaking previously to Al Manassa, “receive salaries in the hundreds of thousands per month.”
One of the two workers, who requested anonymity, said that the acting chief executive, Mohamed Sayed Abdel Salam, met with them and urged them to end the strike. He said the meeting opened with adversarial rhetoric that antagonized workers before easing later on.
The first worker added that they confronted Abdel Salam with reports that the company head had threatened to transfer the finishing department’s raw materials to another company to complete production if the strike continued. According to the worker, the acting chief executive failed to issue a categorical denial, instead deflecting the inquiry.
The second worker explained that Abdel Salam tried to downplay the strike’s impact, saying, “Do you know how much the daily operating costs are? They are several times the value of production. Meaning, your continued strike is cheaper for me.” The workers reportedly responded, “If the strike is cheaper for you, why are you asking us to work? And if you transfer our work to another company, what exactly will you be managing?”
The second worker pointed out that the management representative promised them at the end of the meeting to speak with the management of Banque Misr, which owns the company, to facilitate their demands starting next month.
Last year, the Alexandria Labor Directorate notified company management to rectify violations regarding the minimum wage and overtime pay. The directorate clarified that overtime must be calculated based on the gross wage rather than being absorbed into the minimum wage; additionally, bonuses, allowances, and grants must be paid in addition to—not inclusive of—the minimum wage floor.
Although the company partially complied with the directorate’s instructions, it declined to pay retroactive differences for the past two years, prompting a number of workers to file complaints with the Alexandria Labor Directorate in October 2025. Those complaints were later referred to court.
The company has witnessed several strikes over the past two years, most notably a strike at the end of February 2026, protesting a sudden rise in salary deductions. That strike lasted until the beginning of March, before it was suspended following a meeting with the same company representative, during which workers also demanded raises in salaries and allowances and were told the matter would be studied.
Amria Textile workers also organized a strike in August 2025, protesting what they described as “manipulation” in the application of the minimum wage. That strike led to the resignation of the company’s former chief executive, Ahmed Amr Ragab, and was ended under pressure and threats of dismissal and of being reported to the National Security Agency, and after “successful negotiations that secured a number of their demands.”
