About 200 workers from Abu El-Sebaa textile factory in the industrial city of Mahalla ended a week-long strike this morning, protesting delays in salary payments. One of the workers, who gave his first name as Hani, told AhramOnline that they ended the strike after receiving half of the pending payments and being promised the second half next Tuesday. He said they will continue to work as long as payments are met. In addition to payment delays, workers also complained of wide-spread layoffs. Workers at the Abu El-Sebaa factory, which is part of Egypt's Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ) - whose factories receive tax and other investment benefits - have organized several strikes in recent months. Their objections have centred around the sudden layoffs and irregular salary payments that the factory's management attribute to the backlash of the international financial crisis, sources said.
