This new LCHR report is issue no. 39 of the Economic and Social Rights series, which monitors the size of laborers protests in the first half of 2005 that have reached 109 protests, divided into 21 strikes, 33 sit-ins, 5 protests and 50 gatherings in their strive to improve their conditions and guarantee their rights in suitable working chances.
In the first section, the report shows the negative effects of the economic freedom policies in Egypt with the board of the World Bank, which was signed in June 2005 to increase the role of the private sector and improve the investing atmosphere in return of 2 billion dollars yearly paid to the Egyptian government from 2006 to 2009. this section undertakes the effects of these policies, like the increase of the unemployment rate, displacing workers, closure of factories, evicting farmers out of their lands, tearing down the homes of the poor people and the collapse of the public services, health and educational care, and the relation between that and the conditions of the possible change in Egypt. This section also undertakes some testimonies of some working leaders. And it shows how would the concentration of wealth lead to the increase of stress, as about 14% of the population get about 75% of the total income, while 86% of the population live on 25% of the total national income. At the same time the rate of unemployment increases, as it has reached 17.6% of the total working hands and the rate of direct support has decreased from 10.3% in 1990 to 5% in 2004 from the total expenditure, which the people with limited income benefit of. The report confirms that without the grants and loans pumped to the Egyptian government as analgesics for the economic crisis the Egyptian economy would have collaped.
In the second section, the report studies the conditions of manufacturing textiles and clothing the people, and the need for a new industrial strategy, as manufacturing textiles in Egypt suffers from a chronic stagnancy crisis and fall behind the development process. Till now, it is unable to reach the level of international competition, therefore, the protection policies for investors in the private sector destroy this industry, as the government makes what is called “the preventing protection” on the imports especially clothes, which leads to ruining this industry when competing in the international markets. We wonder, did this protection modify or improve this industry? For whose benefit is this protection? Is it for the benefit of the workers or is it for clothing the Egyptian people? As this protection increases the prices of clothes, which one piece of cloth could cost 1000 pounds. The report sees that protection is a negative policy that expresses the disability of the government and its’ investors in facing the markets, and the main groups who loose in this process, are the poor people.
In the third section, the report shows that the size of protests in the first half of 2005 has reached 109 protests in the three sectors (governmental, business, private). In the governmental sector, the size of protests have reached 39 protests, then the public business sector with 44 protests and then the private sector with 26 protests. The reasons behind these protests were:
Not paying the workers dues, not issuing permanent contracts with the workers, arbitrary referring, arbitrary firing, refusing to make daily workers as temporary ones, issuing imprisonment decisions, arbitrary decision making, stopping to provide services from the homes of the retired workers, not renewing the temporary contracts, closure of factories, selling and liquidating companies, eviction from homes, forcing early retirement, increasing the working hours, corruption of the officials, not increasing the bonuses or getting yearly holidays.
The main governorates that have witnessed the laborers protests were as follows:
18 protests in Cairo, 12 in Alexandria and Behira, 7 in Gharbeya and Esma’aleya, 5 in Qalubeya and Giza, 3 in Sohag, Bany Swief, Suiz and Qena, 2 in Fayoum, Aswan, Port Said, Monofeya, Sharqeya and El Wady El Gedeed, one protest in Menya, Matrooh, Daqahleya, Kafr El Sheikh and the Red Sea.
El Masry El Youm newspaper has published 20 articles about these protests, El Ahrar 14 articles, El Tagamo’a 13 articles, El Ahaly 12 articles, El Wafd 8 articles, El Osboo’a 7 articles, Aafaq Arabeya 6 articles, El Naba’a 5 articles, Nahdat Masr and El Araby 4 articles, El Haqiqa and El Ommal 3 articles, El Seyasy El Masry 2 articles, El Maydan, Sout El Omma, El Khamees and El Ghad one articles, and the LCHR has monitored 8 protests.
The report has showed the labor protests in the governmental sector were 39 protests varied between 22 gatherings, 8 strikes, 8 sit-ins and one protest, the most important reason behind these protests was, not paying the workers dues, which have resulted of 17 protests, then not issuing contracts, which have resulted of 6 protests, arbitrary transferring, which have resulted of 2 protests, arbitrary firing, which have resulted of 3 protests, violations, which have resulted of 2 protests, and then one protest because of refusing to make daily workers as temporary ones, issuing imprisonment decisions, arbitrary decision making, stopping to provide services from the homes of the retired workers, not renewing the temporary contracts, deduction from the salary and not renewing the temporary contracts.
In the fourth section, the report shows that the public business sector has witnessed 44 protests, varied as follows: 19 sit-ins, 17 gatherings, 7 strikes and one protest. The most important reasons behind these protests were: not paying the workers dues, which have resulted of 17 protests, 9 protest for closing stone quarries, selling, liquidating and privatizing companies, 4 protests for arbitrary firing, one protests eviction and arbitrary managing, one protest for not issuing contracts, forced early retirement, increasing the working hours and selling some factories.
In the fifth section, the report shows that the private sector has witnessed 26 protests varied between: 11 gatherings, 6 sit-ins, 3 protests and 6 strikes. The most important reasons behind these protests were: 13 protests for not paying the workers dues, 3 protests for the corruption of the administration, 2 protests for closing the company, one protest for arbitrary firing, warning with eviction, ending the rental relationship, corruption of the officials, not increasing the bonuses nor receiving the yearly holidays, closing a youth market, bad service management, fabricating lawsuits for the workers and arbitrary treatment by policemen.
In the sixth and final section, the report analyses the demands of the labor movement in the battle for change. the report shows that workers cannot be in the frame of this so called “change process” without achieving their demands and eliminating the reasons for their protesting, the most important of these demands are:
Workers right in adequate working chances, fair fees, stop the arbitrary managing, stop the privatization policies and selling or closing factories, paying the late fees, make a minimum limit for fees that is enough to satisfy the needs of a family of five members, defining a maximum limit for the working hours that is no more than 42 hours a week, issuing contracts for the temporary workers, stop the arbitrary firing, not firing a worker without a judicial decision.
The report sees that workers in the heart of the change movement have participated with their protests during this year and demand along with all of the civil society organizations and the reform and change movements to cancel the emergency law for the freedom of protesting, striking and gathering, in addition to releasing the detainees, canceling the laws of the exceptional courts and modifying the constitution to guarantee the peaceful circulation of the authority, reducing the authority of the President, guaranteeing the right to establish associations and parties, give the authority to the national foundations and NGOs to question the officials (the President, the governors, the directors of universities and associations) to guarantee the people’s supervision on the decision makers, the right to freely form organizations for worker, farmers, students, scientists, craftsmen and all of those who could benefit of them to work in solidarity and face the hegemony of the free maket in the frame of the equality and justice values for everyone.
At the end, the LCHR demands all of the foundation interested with laborers conditions in Egypt along with all of the people’s council members and parties to include the laborers demands in their plans and achieve them to protect the rights of the producing workers (the makers of life) and guarantee their rights in a decent life.