Workers at Jade Textile Egypt, a major sportswear manufacturer owned by Turkey’s Yeşim Group, continued strike actions this week at multiple production sites, including the company’s largest plant in 10th of Ramadan City.
The protests, which began on Sunday, February 8, 2026, reflect growing discontent among employees over stagnant wages and a wage increase they describe as inadequate amid rising living costs.
The walkouts involve around 6,000 workers at the 10th of Ramadan factory alone, with additional participation from employees at Jade Textile’s facilities in Ismailia and Borg El Arab.
Workers have rejected the company’s approved average annual raise of about 800 Egyptian pounds, saying that base monthly wages still below 6,500 pounds fall short of meeting basic needs. Their central demand is a monthly salary increase to at least 10,000 pounds.
Despite company efforts to end the strike, including halting employee bus transportation to the factory, workers continued to arrive by taxis and maintained their protest outside and inside the plant gates on Monday.Videos reviewed by local media showed crowds chanting slogans demanding better pay and calling for the removal of senior HR officials accused of blocking negotiations.
Employees report that management attempted to have workers sign declarations renouncing the strike and affirming their desire to work, but many tore up the forms in protest.Workers at the Ismailia sites also say they have faced threats of dismissal and reports to Egypt’s National Security Agency if they persisted in their actions.
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A woman worker told journalists she and her colleagues struggle to make ends meet amid rising prices, “at a time when the company achieves big profits in dollars through manufacturing for global brands including Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Under Armour and Lacoste.”Workers have also pointed to wage differences between Egyptian employees and those in Turkey, questioning why pay standards differ so sharply within the same corporate group.
Turkey’s minimum wage was recently raised by about 27% to roughly $655, with some reports placing the Turkish minimum at the equivalent of approximately 800 pounds, compared with about 180 pounds in Egypt , a key factor in why foreign companies have shifted production to the country.
Jade Textile Egypt has a long presence in the country, opening its first plant in Borg El Arab in 2008, followed by the 10th of Ramadan facility in 2009 and additional factories in Ismailia through 2018.
The company serves as an important regional supplier for major global apparel brands and has expanded its operations significantly, including recent plans for additional manufacturing capacity.
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The strike at Jade Textile underscores broader labor pressures within Egypt’s industrial sector, where other worker actions in recent years have also centered on wage disputes and harsher working conditions. Labor rights groups have documented multiple protests and employer pushback in the region, often calling for stronger enforcement of minimum wage laws and protections for workers’ rights.
Negotiations between Jade Textile management and worker representatives have not yet been finalized, and employees say they will continue their strike until meaningful progress is made on their core demands.
Alaa Ezz, secretary-general of the Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations, said in press statements that differences in labor costs prompted many Turkish factories to move production lines to the Egyptian market, where the minimum wage in Turkey is $800 compared with about $180 in Egypt.
Jade Textile Egypt began manufacturing in Egypt in 2008 in Borg El Arab City. It opened its 10th of Ramadan factory in 2009, added another Borg El Arab factory in 2018, and that same year launched its Ismailia facility before establishing two additional plants in Ismailia.
The group is a key supplier for the brands Nike, Under Armour, Tommy Hilfiger, and Lacoste, and manufactures all types of sportswear, including T-shirts, pants, hoodies, and shorts.
News Source: Manassa News
