Workers at the Ain Sokhna port continued their strike for the fourth consecutive day Wednesday after port operator DP World rejected their demands for a share in the profits and increased risk allowances. The workers said in a statement that the rejection demonstrates how little the company values their work, state news agency MENA reported. DP World, an international marine port operator, signed a monopoly agreement with former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif that granted it power to run the seaport until 2032. Negotiations launched Tuesday between the striking workers and DP administrators, which were mediated by an army brigadier general, stalled after the workers increased their demands, news website Sada al-Balad reported Tuesday. Independent newspaper Youm7's website said hundreds of trucks queued up in front of the closed port, waiting to load approximately 12,000 containers held at the port. The website also reported that the truck drivers assembled in front of the port to express their anger at the continuing delay. Youm7 cited Wael Qaddour, a former member of the Suez Canal Authority's board, as saying that he called for open investigations into DP World's management of the port, saying the entire deal was corrupt and squandered public money.
