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Mrs. Minister of Manpower Practices and arbitrary measures against honest syndicate members must be stooped!!
The Land Center for Human Rights followed with deep concern the measures taken by the official Syndicate organization against some syndicate members and worker activists in some places, which moved in the last period to defend their worker rights. The latest measures of such arbitrary measures were the attempts of the members of the syndicate committee for the workers of the Manpower Department to freeze the membership of syndicate member: Fatima Ramadan. On 1/1/2008 they demanded that her syndicate activity be stopped, after she claimed the rights of her colleagues, who are working at the Manpower Departments, to an increase in their monthly incentives, to be recompensed properly for their occupational hazards, and to provide cars for the inspectors at the Department in order to improve their performance and equal them with their colleagues at the General Department of the Governorate.
The LCHR is surprised by these measures, taken by the Egyptian government against honest syndicate members in some places, and rejects them. The LCHR confirms that the firing of syndicate members will not stop the aspirations of the labor movement to demand improved wages, the payment of salaries, and an improved working environment. The LCHR sees that instead of firing and intimidating worker leaders, the General Union, the Ministry of Manpower, the Egyptian government, and the managements of companies, must work on solving the problems of workers, by increasing their wages, paying them their dues, subsidizing commodities that are essential for a decent life, providing proper job opportunities, improving the conditions of public services, granting public services for producers, activating the role of the official syndicate organization, allowing the establishment of several syndicates as a way of solving the problems of workers, and improving the methods of negotiation with employers, managements of companies, and government agencies.
The Land Center presents the complaints of syndicate members to the Minister of Manpower and the Chairman of the official Federation of Egypt’s Workers, demanding that they reactivate the memberships of syndicate members who were fired, withdraw the freezing decisions that were issued against them, and enable them to exercise their syndicate activities, for the sake of their right to fair wages, proper job opportunities, and syndicate freedom.
For more information please contact the Center.