Workers from the Amonsito Company renewed Saturday their sit-in on the sidewalk outside the Shura Council in downtown Cairo. Protesters huddled under a tree chanting against the government, clapping to the beat of their drums, and grabbing the attention of passers-by and drivers stuck in traffic. Security forces surrounding the workers did not seem hostile. "We restarted our sit-in on Saturday as our demands still weren't met after our previous sit-in," said Essam Abdel Hameed, vice president of the union committee. "We talked to Hussein Megawer [head of the state-run Egyptian Trade Union Federation], who said he would give us our compensation. We went to the syndicate and they said 'go to Hussein'; we then went to Hussein and he said, 'ask the syndicate.' Now, we don't know who to ask!" But according to Abdel Hameed, Megawer is not easy to get in touch with: "He is said to be spending his summer vacation, before the resorts get crowded." The protesters, who say they will not leave until their demands are met, are threatening to have their families join the sit-in. "The president should listen to us. Everyone listens to us but he doesn't," said Abdel Hameed. He added that the Bank of Egypt has paid salaries of about LE10 million, which the workers originally believed was from social services. The bank then said the machines in the factory did not work, according to Abdel Hameed. "I then realized that this was a way for the bank to seize the land, since it has the right to sell it," he said. This situation lasted from May 2008 to November 2009. Amonsito workers, estimated to number around 1700 people, staged a 21-day-long sit-in at the same location in March. The protest ended when the government and the Bank of Egypt (the owner's crediting bank), agreed to pay workers above retirement age three months of salary for every year with the company, as well as four months' salary for each year for those below retirement age. But the workers have yet to be paid, they say. "I think this sit-in should bring good results," said Abdel Hameed. "I hope so," he added.
