The Muslim Brotherhood, viewed as a potent force in Egypt's Nile Delta region, has offered no support to the strikers, which a local labor activist said contributes to growing local disenchantment with the group.
"We are victims of privatization," one worker called Mustapha told me. "We are not demanding any raise or anything, just our salaries. We are creating a profit, so where is our rights? We are not going to give up. We want to live!"