Thousands of workers at the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company (MSWC) in Mahalla al-Kubra, Egypt, have been on strike since Thursday. The strike, led by female workers, erupted in protests for higher wages and better working conditions. The workers demanded an increase in their daily food allowance and the implementation of the recent increase in the minimum wage for the public sector. Around 7,000 workers gathered on Saturday to reinforce their demands. The military dictator Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had ordered a monthly minimum wage increase, fearing a social explosion, but the MSWC does not fall under this increase, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Finance. The unions called on the government to make concessions, emphasizing the need for a quick response to apply the minimum wage to all workers. The strike reflects growing opposition to al-Sisi's military dictatorship in Egypt. Mahalla al-Kubra has a history of being a center for class struggle, with textile workers playing a key role in strikes against the Mubarak regime in 2006 and 2008 and the revolutionary struggles in 2011.