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“Resistance is the Way to Victory”...Egyptian Labourers’ protests against the crisis
Land Report for 2002
Land Centre for Human Rights (LCHR) issued its annual report about labourers’ positions titled “resistance is the way to victory”. It is the report no. 28 in the series of Economic and Social Rights.
The report is about the protests of labourers during the past year 2002. There were 96 protests in different sectors (private, public and governmental) on the background of the brutal war against Iraqi people and also the demonstrations all over the world against war, neo-liberalism and poverty for peoples.
It is worthy of mentioning that we decided to publish that report although the international and local public opinion is taken up by the brutal American war against Iraqi people and the destruction and violations of human rights it causes. We made that decision because we believe that what happens in the international society cannot be separated from our society and our interests. Accordingly, it cannot be separated from the violations of the rights of labourers, the poor and the marginalised. Those are the people who will pay at the end the bill of war. Displaying the resistance of Egyptian labourers against the violations of their right to a safe life is a part of displaying the resistance of world’s peoples, represented in Iraqi people against brutality.
The report therefore displays the demands and protests of labourers, who want to stop the violations of their right to a proper payment, strikes, demonstrations and a safe decent life. Labourers demand firm procedures to be taken against the continuous rising in prices and withdrawing the draft of the new unified labour law from parliament now in order to defuse the crisis instead of abusing it against our people. On that basis, our duty is to keep in solidarity with labourers’ voice and interests. I order to resist the mechanisms of brutal liberalism that aim at exploiting us and violating our right to a decent life and a fair distribution of wealth.
The report is divided into three chapters and a preliminary chapter under the title “a view of the current situation”. That chapter puts the light on the developments of the past year in labour relations. In that year, real trials to issue the unified labour law took place. Government thought that it is necessary to issue the law after years of postponing it.
That chapter also points out attacking the rights of civil labourers in the government by announcing some basic reformations in law no. 47 of 1978 about the rights and duties of those labourers. These reformations include tougher punishments and a change in the rules of evaluation of skill that gives more space to firing.
That chapter also refers to several violations of the rights of agrarian and domestic labourers and child and female labourers. Those categories suffer either negligence or shrinkage in the rights granted to them in addition to the exclusion of agrarian labourers from the law.
The first chapter “world’s labourers face exploitation” makes an overview of the impact of implementing neo-liberalism policies by most of the world’s governments either in developed or developing countries. This chapter also shows the resulted reactions from most of the world’s peoples towards these policies that caused an economic crisis all over the world in addition to the world leaders, led by US, desire to dominate the world.
This chapter shows the most remarkable strikes and demonstrations in the world during the past year such as the strike of ten million labourers in Spain in June 2002 during the European leaders’ summit. There were also demonstrations of millions in Spain that condemn the EU policies, which violate the rights of labourers, immigrants and refugees and support war.
The two strikes that Italy witnessed during 2002 against unified labour law are among the biggest strikes for that year. More than 13 million labourers participated in one of these strikes and 20 millions from 120 Italian city participated in the second strike that caused a general paralysis in Italy.
There were also demonstrations and strikes in France, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, India, Pakistan, Japan, Russia, South Africa and Palestine.
The second chapter “Egyptian Labourers’ Protests during 2002” is about the 96 protests that took place in all sectors. These protests took place in many forms. There were 46 demonstrations, 27 gatherings in workplaces and 24 strikes either of work or food.
There were 49 protests in private sector, 25 in government and economic authorities and 22 in public sector. Labourers in Egypt suffered many kinds of violations. There were 18 cases of dropping of payments or shrinking them, 31 unjustified firings, 6 clearance sales accompanied by firing all the labourers, 2 forced early retirements, 5 forced changes of workplaces and 4 decreases in payments. There was one case for each of refusal of governmental hiring, over working and expulsion from workhouses. There were also 15 cases of oppressive administrational decrees and ill treatment. The chapter shows the protests of the labourers in each sector and the reasons and demands of each protest.=
The third chapter reaches some results and recommendations and points out the gathering of hundreds of thousands of labourers against the summit of the eight biggest industrial countries, the EU summit and WTO summit. In addition, there were demonstrations against the brutal policies of US administration that aim at dominating the world through military power. As a part of the world, we are displaying the following demands of labourers in Egypt:
- Labourers demand implementing of practical measures to support the Iraqi people and activating the legal and political mechanisms to force us administration and its partners to instantly retreat from Iraq. Labourers demand the Egyptian government not to allow allies’ ships through Suez Canal. Labourers demand compensating Iraq for the destruction of the country and its infrastructure.
- Labourers demand releasing the detained and punishing the officers who torture and ill-treat citizens regardless their social or political position is. Labourers demand not to violate the right of citizens to decency and safety and cancelling emergency law. Labourers also demand the right to demonstrate, organise a strike, publish newspapers and form political parties and organisations.
- Labourers demand the raising of the minimum of payments and guaranteeing a periodical increase in to cope with the prices of basic needs. Labourers also demand implementing a real mechanism to stop the continuous rise in prices through alternative agricultural and industrial policies that enhance the local abilities and resources in Egypt.
- Labourers demand the government to withdraw the draft of unified labour law and not to discuss it in the parliament during the war and to stop any laws or measures that would violate the economic and social rights of any category of labourers.
- Labourers demand a real and proper support to economic and social period in these hard times, especially those rights related to health, land ownership and education.
We know that our ambitions are not humble, but we are sure that there are many officials and activists who will give attention to these recommendations for the sake of improving our economic and social positions, and our future. We hope that the government will work on carrying out these demands in order to protect our rights and our economical and social safety.
LCHR hopes that the report will be discussed and the final recommendations will be put in attention for the sake of our people, our wealth, and our resources.