The subsidiary of Omar Effendi chain store in Alexandria (Photo: Reuters)
A group of Omar Effendi employees have congregated near the cabinet’s headquarters demanding fixed contracts and overdue payments.
The angry workers, who were hired on short-term contracts, claim to have been denied their salaries and bonuses for over three consecutive months.
The protesters called on interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to take action, saying they are struggling to cope with increasing living costs.
On 7 May, Egypt's Administrative Court annulled the deal that saw a Saudi businessman purchase 90 per cent of the famous chain store. Omar Effendi's ex-owner Gamil Al-Kanbit, chairman of Saudi Anwal, is seeking to “resort to the Egyptian judiciary and international arbitration to retrieve funds that belong to the investors in this company.”
Omar Effendi was established in 1856 and is one of Egypt's most iconic names.
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