Strike at Egyptian-Chinese drilling company over salaries, bonuses
The source, who has been with the company for 18 years, said that the factory operates a single 12-hour shift starting at 8 am. All permanent employees — laborers, administrative staff and engineers — have joined the strike to demand wage increases in line with salary brackets in the petroleum sector.
According to the source, the striking workers earn LE5,000-LE7,000 in base pay, with an average total salary of LE10,000, unchanged since 2023. The company's Chinese management has since refused to raise wages for permanently employed staff while approving pay hikes for seconded employees who have been with the company for less than a year, the source said.
In 2022, the company announced job openings for secondment contracts from other firms in the petroleum sector.
The source noted that the company frequently outsources labor by calling for workers via subcontractors, who supply laborers on a shift basis depending on operational needs.
Workers view the practice as a way for the company to avoid committing to pay raises for full-time staff.
Striking workers are also demanding the disbursement of annual bonus, which have been paused since 2023.
Other demands include disbursing unpaid entitlements from the National Petroleum Day grant and an increase in healthcare benefits for employees and their families, which have been capped at LE4,000 since 2007 despite medical inflation.
They are also seeking recognition of their right to end-of-service compensation.
Additionally, workers are calling for a clear promotion policy, the implementation of a 15-percent increase in allowances paid on the basis of expertise and output specialization — which was approved by the board in 2023 but never implemented — and the disbursement of all bonuses mandated by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC)'s regulations and directives.
According to the source, ECDC management has repeatedly promised to address these demands over the years but consistently failed to follow through.
In December, workers staged a protest and filed a complaint with the labor office only to receive yet another set of unfulfilled promises. In January, they escalated their grievances to the petroleum minister, but their complaint went unanswered, prompting their strike.
The General Trade Union for Petroleum Workers reached out to the strikers, the worker said, promising to respond to their demands after discussions with the EGPC.
Founded in 2007, ECDC specializes in the production of oil drilling equipment for both local and international markets. The Chinese partner holds a 50-percent stake in the company.
In 2023, the company officially celebrated the transfer of manufacturing technology from China to Egypt and the production of Egypt's first locally made oil rig, backed by US$6.5 million in investments.
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