CAIRO, Sept. 27 (Aswat Masriya) - The French trade union, Solidaires, called on Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on Tuesday to intervene to release 26 Alexandria Shipyard Company workers that were put on military trial for striking.

“The ‘crime’ they are accused of committing is aligned with international conventions on the rights of employees, of which Egypt is a signatory,” Solidaries wrote in statement on their official website.

A military official told Aswat Masriya that striking workers are dealt with in accordance with military law.

The 26 workers from the Shipyard Company, which is run by the Egyptian military, are currently standing trial in a military court for having arranged a sit-in last May.

According to the Solidaires statement, 15 of these workers have been in military prison for over four months. They are accused of "pushing the workers of different sectors of the company to stop working, as well as calling for rallies and organizing a mobilization within the company to block production and cause disorder."

The workers had demonstrated to demand better working conditions, health insurance, the right to receive treatment in military hospitals, and monetary compensation for the risks they take at work.

The workers’ trial has been postponed to October 18, after a series of delays.

Last month, over 500 people and civil society groups signed petitions in solidarity with the workers, and called for an end to the trial of civilians before military courts.