Egyptian textile workers suspend sit-in

Thousands of textile workers suspended their sit-in Thursday after Investment Minister Hatem Saleh decided to hold a meeting Sunday with workers' representatives to discuss their problems. Saleh phoned Abdel Fattah Ibrahim, Head of General Syndicate of weaving and textile workers, and decided to hold a meeting with the workers. In press statements, Ibrahim said "We call for pumping investments swiftly to support textile companies in order to buy cotton and pay part of the wages to workers." The work will be suspended during the coming two days in the state-owned Mahalla Spinning and Weaving Company, Egypt's largest textiles manufacturer, due the lack of cotton and material, he added. The workers staged a protest outside the Investment Ministry, demanding President Mohamed Morsi, Prime Minister Hesham Qandil, and the investment minister to provide raw materials including cotton for their factories.