CAIRO: More than 100 workers from the Nubaria for Agricultural Mechanization continued their sit-in in front of the People's Assembly (PA) for the third consecutive day, demanding the factory be reopened, their reinstatement and two years back pay. A dispute between the Workers' Union and the company's board headed by Ahmed Hussein, following the privatization of the company in 1997, ended in the closure of the company two years ago. Hussein, who along with his family owns 72 percent of the company's shares, refuses to reopen the company until the protesting workers quit and agree to early retirement. "Either the company reopens and workers return or the general prosecutor appoints a commissioner to run the company and give workers their rights, Gamal Ali, spokesperson for the protesting workers, told Daily News Egypt. In 2005, after the company's board dismissed the Workers' Union, workers organized a seven-month sit-in, followed by another one in March 2006 in front of the PA before an MP filed a request to the PA which assigned its manpower committee to investigate the issue. After interrogating both parties, the committee pressured the board to reinstate the dismissed workers. However, the board asked for a period of time to reevaluate the situation which the committee considered "stalling. Therefore they appointed a general commissioner, Hamdy Al-Naggar, to run the company. In February 2008, the board filed a complaint to the general prosecutor who cancelled the committee's decision and ordered the return of the company owners as management. Both Al-Naggar and the workers wanted to meet with Hussein to discuss with him the dismissal of workers and other future plans; however, he only sent representatives. Workers then requested that the process of handing the company over to Hussein be put on hold, while Al-Naggar presented reports about the period during which he managed the company to the Public Funds Investigation Bureau in February 2008. "The company has been closed ever since, Ali said. Minister of Manpower Aisha Abdel Hady filed a complaint to the general prosecutor who issued a decision to ban Hussein from managing his shares at the company and appointing Al-Naggar instead. "Since it was a joint stock company, it should be either run by a board or the government appoints a commissioner to run the company until the dispute is solved, Ali explained During these two years, "many workers had to take their children out of school while others can't afford to pay for their medical treatment, Ali said "If the board has an intention to end this crisis but doesn't have the cash to pay for our salaries, we are willing to [wait] but there is no intention whatsoever to give the workers their rights, he added. Ali said that the crisis is likely to end soon with a number of officials expected to start negotiations with Hussein to reopen the company and "if he doesn't comply, they will take different measures.
