BBC's Cairo-Office Staff Announce New Strike Next Week

The head of the Journalists Syndicate Khaled El-Balshy, announced that BBC Egypt's office staff will start a 3-day strike, next week.

El-Balshy said that the days of the strike will start on Monday, July 17, and will end on July 19.

He added, on Facebook, that the BBC Egypt office told the BBC administration about the strike.

Last month, BBC staff in Egypt announced a strike over the unfair payment policy of the British broadcaster.

Employees at the BBC's Cairo office revealed that they are receiving lower wages than other offices, also, the expected increase in salaries was lower than they expected or asked for.

Cairo office staff and the administration were in negotiations for more than a year, however, it seems that no solution was reached.

The Cairo staff also had further communications with the management, last March, asking for a fair pay policy like the other BBC offices.

El-Balshy told Al Qahera Al Ekhbariya, last June, that the colleagues in the BBC Egypt office are calling for fair wages, which is one of their rights as employees.

El-Balshy added that the syndicate contacted the International Federation of Journalists, and the authorities in the UK.

He added that the management is paying for the employees in Egypt unlike they do with the offices in Istanbul, and Beirut, describing this action as questionable.

The Egyptian veteran journalist highlighted that BBC's response was so negative and disappointing for the employees in the Cairo office, therefore, they decided to organize a-day strike as a message of objection.

In the same context, a number of broadcasting teams showed solidarity with their colleagues in BBC's Cairo office.