Locked-out workers at the National Vegetable Oils Company in Egypt, which is owned by giant multinational agrobusiness Cargill, are appealing for solidarity. They have spent more than 120 on the picket line after being forced out of the factory and sacked for taking part in a peaceful protest against worsening working conditions and management bullying last December. They are surrounded by thugs armed with knives who menace them with guard dogs.
In a statement issued on 16 April, the NVOC trade union committee said:
All the 76 workers taking part in the peaceful sit-in, who represent more than 70% of the workforce, confirm that they will continue their sit-in until their demands are met. In the event that the company management does not end this crisis by meeting their demands, they will all peaceful and legal means of escalation
What you can do:
- Read more on the background to the sit-in on the website of the global federation of food workers unions, IUF here
- Send a message of protest to Cargill, calling on them to reinstate the locked-out workers
MENA Solidarity Network 
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Cargill Manchester site – I was Bullied between 2011 – 2014
I confirm that I am an extremely honest and kind individual and would never lie.
I caught the Planner NR (10 years older than me) was caught ripping my work up from a filing cabinet and messed with my work. The staples were coming loose and I was finding unorganised work. I approached him at his desk; and he tried to put the evidence in the bin and he gave to me. I reported the abuse. HR said they would need to do an investigation and would take a long time and also they would need to go into checking past employees past history. Another time, I went to ask NR for something and I was very well composed and another Planner JR starting laughing at me. I ignored him, and I did not let me get to me and he was shocked that I ignored him. NR also made funning faces/gestures at me every day from the canteen and he laughing/sniggering at me all the time. I also was frightened to walk in the corridors because he would be really funny with me as he is walking past me. I also was on a way up to a meeting and up the stairs he pushed the door behind him and looked through the glass and made a funny face. I am still very upset by this. The planner NR also never organised urgent collections when I spoke to him and in the end I had to speak to the haulier myself and I got in trouble for and hence why I handed in my notice. The collection was never made and but I arranged and I saved an external companies business from incurring charges and rearranged myself for the next day.
The new management could not see what I had done was excellent and were not willing to take my side and was HR the planner was making complaints about me because I was asking them to do arrange collections in their busiest times on month end ? Also when I gave around 4x orders to NR over a large amount of time he would not order the products. The customer’s were nearly let down; but I had to keep checking and thinking out of the box. NR just stood there all calmly knowing he was tormenting me by his non placement of the orders.
SS was shouting at me because she wanted to be the leader in the group and I had to do what she said. One time, she shouted and me and my ears were hurting all weekend after and she laughed at me when she saw it was hurting in my ears. EA 54 years old was in the background and let SS do what ever SS wanted to do. They both struck together like a bullying team. SS was always nasty to me and knew how to play it; she knew how to get me so upset that I would be off tone with her. She tortured me continually daily; and the she knew the best time to do it. Especially, when the Manager was away from the office and this was the time she would do it. Then SS would set her me as the target for her games when the Management were there to trap me. SS was never nice to me.
I even gave SS some filing work; and she deliberately denied me giving her the work.
EA was the next step for bullying and undermined me that she would get to the bottom of this.
I even helped the team on the filing and all I got was accusations and nonone said to me. Thank you for your hard work for the years CTS filing I had done.
I would also be not included in things EA seen to that. EA even did not tell me about a spreadsheet she was creating and then stood up in front of the management and said Angela have you made changes. This was upsetting because I was not even told about the spreadsheet. There was even a time when there was logistic instructions to be done. I was accused of deleting spreadsheet lines and I am still very upset about because it was not true.
I am the best there is in the group with spreadsheets with qualifications and experience. I am nearly sure that one of the colleagues I cannot name names but they had deleted the lines as it was something to do with one of my customers. SS also was a very good lier extremely good, it was though she had trained herself over the years. EA was also very similar, but she knew how to put the show on for people. I tried to trust EA, but she could not be trusted she saw what SS and NR had done and continued to make me stressed. I tried to see if EA would come clean on what she knew, but I made a mistake I would not be repeating in that you should never trust or put your hopes into people being honest. Also the reason EA was like this is she was very threatened by my work levels and skills and NA was also and this caused concerns in the department especially with SS which was EA best bullying partner.
There was plenty of times when SR in the morning would walk past me in the mornings and actually whisper comments in my ear – save the trees, too much paper etc and it
was upsetting me. But this person was in another department across the room what is it got to do with SR.
On my way out after I handed in my notice, I rang out because I was on the phone.
I seen SS in the distance behind me running after me for the door, but I was miles ahead of SS. SS was ages behind, and finally she caught up with me and said ‘Do not slam the door in my face’ and I even succeeded to hold the door open. This is again another torture tactic. Another thing, in the Car Park CC said to me ‘You are crap at your job’ – I politely said I am very good at my job. I am so upset by CC as I thought a 60 year old which is my Dad’s age would actappropriately. There was nonone I could turn to. I never told anyone because again I was being bullied repeatedly again and again. A couple of days later CC she said why don’t you ask for job back temporary.
Really importantly CC was a witness to an extremely upsetting thing to me.
NR noticed there was no managers about and it was only me and Christine.
He came to my desk area to speak to Christine and was facing opposite Christine.
I was getting up to go to the printer. He was laughing as he was backing into me like a dance and went to back into me twice and succeeded to push me twice and went for a third time. This was before I handed in my notice and I am so upset. I got my own back and I am not prepared to say as I knew HR was not listening and again no evidence. The next day EA came in and there was noone else around and stood up and said that is disgusting. I was not ashamed as I stuck up for myself and HR would thought I was mad if I reported him and CC would have not stuck up for me and just stood there watching him humiliate me and I felt violated as a woman. There was other examples of bullying also EA was in a training meeting with me and would not let me think or I was not allowed to ask questions to the Trainer and kept answering my questions rather than letting me think and the Training Manager answer me. I learnt nothing as EA was answering and butting in when I tried to speak to the Trainer. This was the day where I felt I could not go into another meeting and needed a lunch so I told the new Manager I had a meeting with the bank and received warning. I was so stressed I needed a break, especially trying to get used to a new Manager also.
There are other examples of bullying at Cargill from the same colleagues, but cannot write too much as too long I think. .i.e withholding work related information, changing guidelines and feeling less involved. Persistent criticism and being overruled and ignored., Deliberately sabotaged work and attacks on my character and personal competence and repeatedly torturing me by keep asking me the same questions and being very nasty to me.
In all, there was no management focus on the people in the department and there should be camera’s. I enjoyed working for Cargill and loved my job and I am still traumatised and may need to see a Bullying councillor, but this help me writing this article. The biggest mistake I made was not documenting the evidence and dating it and going to see a bullying expert or possibly a solicitor or join a union.
Today, I still honour myself and believe I did an excellent job and with excellent attention to detail and nonone will ever take this away from me not even the bullies.
Cargill Manchester site Food Manufacturer – I was Bullied between 2011 – 2014
I confirm that I am an extremely honest and kind individual and would never lie.
I caught the Planner NR (10 years older than me) was caught ripping my work up from a filing cabinet and messed with my work. The staples were coming loose and I was finding unorganised work. I approached him at his desk; and he tried to put the evidence in the bin and he gave to me. I reported the abuse. HR said they would need to do an investigation and would take a long time and also they would need to go into checking past employees past history. Another time, I went to ask NR for something and I was very well composed and another Planner JR starting laughing at me. I ignored him, and I did not let me get to me and he was shocked that I ignored him. NR also made funning faces/gestures at me every day from the canteen and he laughing/sniggering at me all the time. I also was frightened to walk in the corridors because he would be really funny with me as he is walking past me. I also was on a way up to a meeting and up the stairs he pushed the door behind him and looked through the glass and made a funny face. I am still very upset by this. The planner NR also never organised urgent collections when I spoke to him and in the end I had to speak to the haulier myself and I got in trouble for and hence why I handed in my notice. The collection was never made and but I arranged and I saved an external companies business from incurring charges and rearranged myself for the next day.
The new management could not see what I had done was excellent and were not willing to take my side and was HR the planner was making complaints about me because I was asking them to do arrange collections in their busiest times on month end ? Also when I gave around 4x orders to NR over a large amount of time he would not order the products. The customer’s were nearly let down; but I had to keep checking and thinking out of the box. NR just stood there all calmly knowing he was tormenting me by his non placement of the orders.
SS was shouting at me because she wanted to be the leader in the group and I had to do what she said. One time, she shouted and me and my ears were hurting all weekend after and she laughed at me when she saw it was hurting in my ears. EA 54 years old was in the background and let SS do what ever SS wanted to do. They both struck together like a bullying team. SS was always nasty to me and knew how to play it; she knew how to get me so upset that I would be off tone with her. She tortured me continually daily; and the she knew the best time to do it. Especially, when the Manager was away from the office and this was the time she would do it. Then SS would set her me as the target for her games when the Management were there to trap me. SS was never nice to me.
I even gave SS some filing work; and she deliberately denied me giving her the work.
EA was the next step for bullying and undermined me that she would get to the bottom of this.
I even helped the team on the filing and all I got was accusations and nonone said to me. Thank you for your hard work for the years CTS filing I had done.
I would also be not included in things EA seen to that. EA even did not tell me about a spreadsheet she was creating and then stood up in front of the management and said Angela have you made changes. This was upsetting because I was not even told about the spreadsheet. There was even a time when there was logistic instructions to be done. I was accused of deleting spreadsheet lines and I am still very upset about because it was not true.
I am the best there is in the group with spreadsheets with qualifications and experience. I am nearly sure that one of the colleagues I cannot name names but they had deleted the lines as it was something to do with one of my customers. SS also was a very good lier extremely good, it was though she had trained herself over the years. EA was also very similar, but she knew how to put the show on for people. I tried to trust EA, but she could not be trusted she saw what SS and NR had done and continued to make me stressed. I tried to see if EA would come clean on what she knew, but I made a mistake I would not be repeating in that you should never trust or put your hopes into people being honest. Also the reason EA was like this is she was very threatened by my work levels and skills and NA was also and this caused concerns in the department especially with SS which was EA best bullying partner.
There was plenty of times when SR in the morning would walk past me in the mornings and actually whisper comments in my ear – save the trees, too much paper etc and it
was upsetting me. But this person was in another department across the room what is it got to do with SR.
On my way out after I handed in my notice, I rang out because I was on the phone.
I seen SS in the distance behind me running after me for the door, but I was miles ahead of SS. SS was ages behind, and finally she caught up with me and said ‘Do not slam the door in my face’ and I even succeeded to hold the door open. This is again another torture tactic. Another thing, in the Car Park CC said to me ‘You are crap at your job’ – I politely said I am very good at my job. I am so upset by CC as I thought a 60 year old which is my Dad’s age would actappropriately. There was nonone I could turn to. I never told anyone because again I was being bullied repeatedly again and again. A couple of days later CC she said why don’t you ask for job back temporary.
Really importantly CC was a witness to an extremely upsetting thing to me.
NR noticed there was no managers about and it was only me and Christine.
He came to my desk area to speak to Christine and was facing opposite Christine.
I was getting up to go to the printer. He was laughing as he was backing into me like a dance and went to back into me twice and succeeded to push me twice and went for a third time. This was before I handed in my notice and I am so upset. I got my own back and I am not prepared to say as I knew HR was not listening and again no evidence. The next day EA came in and there was noone else around and stood up and said that is disgusting. I was not ashamed as I stuck up for myself and HR would thought I was mad if I reported him and CC would have not stuck up for me and just stood there watching him humiliate me and I felt violated as a woman. There was other examples of bullying also EA was in a training meeting with me and would not let me think or I was not allowed to ask questions to the Trainer and kept answering my questions rather than letting me think and the Training Manager answer me. I learnt nothing as EA was answering and butting in when I tried to speak to the Trainer. This was the day where I felt I could not go into another meeting and needed a lunch so I told the new Manager I had a meeting with the bank and received warning. I was so stressed I needed a break, especially trying to get used to a new Manager also.
There are other examples of bullying at Cargill from the same colleagues, but cannot write too much as too long I think. .i.e withholding work related information, changing guidelines and feeling less involved. Persistent criticism and being overruled and ignored., Deliberately sabotaged work and attacks on my character and personal competence and repeatedly torturing me by keep asking me the same questions and being very nasty to me.
In all, there was no management focus on the people in the department and there should be camera’s. I enjoyed working for Cargill and loved my job and I am still traumatised and may need to see a Bullying councillor, but this help me writing this article. The biggest mistake I made was not documenting the evidence and dating it and going to see a bullying expert or possibly a solicitor or join a union.
Today, I still honour myself and believe I did an excellent job and with excellent attention to detail and nonone will ever take this away from me not even the bullies.