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Quiet and peaceful labor elections after the exclusion of hundreds of active workers and labor rights defenders
The Labor Union that represents only one quarter of workers in Egypt along with the Ministry of Manpower have succeeded in depriving workers of their right to elect and choose their representatives in the labor syndicates. The first stage of these elections has ended last Wednesday 8/11/2006, as the Ministry has excluded hundreds of candidate workers, activists and labor rights defenders from competing in the labor elections for the 2006 – 2011 round. This was done by refusing to give them the labor syndicate membership certificates, which are required for the nomination process, and those who were able to fulfill all their papers were also excluded, as their names were not enrolled among the candidates, which made them file complaints, but these complaints were denied by the Ministry of Manpower. This has led to the end of the first stage with the winning of many candidates uncontested. This will also help these winners in the second stage being held today.
The Administrational Judiciary Court is full of lawsuits and complaints from the excluded candidates, and more than 120 court rulings were issued for the favor of these candidates, but the Ministry of Manpower refused to implement them.
The results of LCHR's follow up to the first stage of these elections showed that there was a heavy presence of security forces in some electoral sites and syndicate committees especially in Cairo, which has formed a threat to both worker candidates and voters and reduced their chance in participating in these elections.
When some workers protest by making peaceful sit-ins, the security forces arrest them immediately. On the day of the elections, some committees were closed before completing the voting process, like what happened in Qena governorate. Other workers were prevented from voting, like what happened in Giza governorate. Many candidates were not able to attend the sorting "counting" process, like what happened in El Mahalla El Kobra.
There were 15250 candidates competing in the first stage in 568 syndicate committee after the winning of other candidates in 281 syndicate committees uncontested. In this stage, there were 886 complaints, the Ministry accepted 210 of them and refused the rest without any reason. 181 of the accepted complaints were not settled.
We would like to say that today started the second stage of the labor elections where 2.5 million workers take part, and 15100 candidates of a total of 19830 candidates will compete in 450 syndicate committees after 4727 of them have won the second stage uncontested in 525 syndicate committees. The Ministry has accepted 111 complaints presented by some candidates and refused 540 complaints without any reason. The elections were postponed in 6 companies and in 13 syndicate committees in Daqahleya governorate. Some workers asserted that non-national party members had a very good chance of winning in these committees.
The labor elections will end on the 28th of November 2006, and the LCHR sees that these partial elections that don't respect court rulings must be canceled and done all over again with impartiality and without any violations or administrative interference by the Ministry of Manpower.
The LCHR calls all of those concerned with workers rights and freedom of labor syndicates to work on forming alternative labor unions that guarantee workers rights to assembly, suitable working opportunities and decent living.
For more information, please contact the Center.