Journalists at Al-Bawaba News continue their sit-in at the Cairo Journalists Syndicate after being forcibly evicted from the newspaper's premises nearly two months into their strike over unpaid wages. They have appealed to the president for intervention, amid accusations that the management is violating labor laws in its push for liquidation.
The strike at Al-Bawaba News began in November over two months of unpaid wages, prompting clashes with management, which cited accumulated financial losses as justification for non-payment and announced early this year the general assembly's approval for dissolution and liquidation. On Sunday evening, nine security guards stormed the office around 8 pm, where only three journalists were present, demanding they leave under threat, confiscating their phones, restraining two, and handing the key to an employee linked to owner Abdel Rahim Ali, according to journalist Wesam Hamdy at a Monday syndicate conference.
The editorial board issued a statement within two hours, dismissing the account as "allegations" aimed at undermining mediation efforts led by "a colleague" approached by some strikers, while reaffirming commitment to dialogue. The journalists responded in a Tuesday statement that the strike continues and they are open to solutions guaranteeing their rights. A week earlier, management attempted to break the sit-in by barring entry, removing four protesters, and cutting electricity, water, and internet; checks revealed the power meter had been removed.
Journalists Syndicate head Khaled al-Balshy stated at the conference that the syndicate has filed a lawsuit to halt liquidation, arguing it violates Article 240 of the labor law, which prohibits closure during collective disputes or strikes. A Labor Ministry official, anonymously, confirmed this applies, noting liquidation does not absolve wage obligations under the latest minimum-wage decree. The ministry has court reports from November on minimum-wage non-compliance and couldn't provide aid due to missing paperwork from management.
Official records obtained by the syndicate show Al-Bawaba is fully family-owned: 60% by Ali, 30% by son Khaled, and 10% by his wife, contradicting earlier claims of partial foreign ownership. Management filed complaints against nine journalists and two syndicate board members for unlicensed protesting and defaming Ali and editor-in-chief Dalia Abdel Rahim, but the Public Prosecution released them after questioning. The syndicate suspended Ali's membership and is reviewing petitions against his daughters Dalia and Shahenda.
In a Tuesday appeal to the president, the journalists warned of a "dangerous precedent" if rights are squandered with impunity, citing Ali's past recorded boast of being "above the law." They exhausted legal avenues after ministry-documented violations, including wage suspension and reprisals. The lawsuit's first hearing is slated for later this month, as the sit-in persists.
