With 2016, the situation of Egyptian political forces and
Civil Society Organizations is deteriorating within an increasingly
complex environment considerably shrinking the public space and
preventing any opportunities of social mobility, combined with an
unprecedented economic crisis. When we examine the area of workers’
rights, it is easy to notice the difficulties faced by independent trade
unions defied by the “official” General Federation of Trade Unions
which is totally backed by the State agencies in an attempt to exert the
State hegemony over the working class.
Therefore, independent trade unions are confronted with a
central power headed by a government that acknowledges only the
hierarchical structures, relying for this on an entirely dependent
Federation ready to comply with all the requisites of the governmental
agenda, including that of humiliating workers, denying the legacy of
their claims and even violating their basic rights. On the other hand,
the Egyptian Parliament is falling under the supremacy of a
pro-governmental coalition endorsing all the decisions dictated by the
State apparatus.
Moreover, the parliamentarian commission of the labor
force is under the control of men belonging to the formal Federation in
order to counteract any attempts initiated by independent trade unions;
the power of this commission is it has the authority to adopt the
legislation proposed by the State, or even to shape more restrictive
legislations against freedoms and workers’ rights. In addition, we
refer to the interventions of security and intelligence forces that are
always super ready to enforce judgments related to firing workers,
imprisonment, including the practice of threats and forced
disappearance.
The labor’s movement is also victim of the coercive
attitudes of patrons towards their workers and the leadership of the
labor’s movement. All this happens within an obvious weakness of the
parties responsible of monitoring the status of workers and that of the
labor market, reaching sometimes the extent of connivance with other
forms of repression. This gives free hands to businessmen in practicing
their power and even violating the terms of laws with no fear from
punishment.
Close to the end of 2016, it is clear that the policies
adopted by the State are in favor of safeguarding the existence of the
General Federation as a useful tool to
break the resistance of workers. This role is highly valued by the
upper spheres and the representatives of the Federation are preciously
kept in post regardless the many scandals of corruption they are
involved in. As an illustration, Law 35/1976 about trade unions and
endorsed by the Parliament last June is granting an important immunity
to these representatives and allows them to pursue their role safely.
Furthermore, representatives of independent trade unions
were removed from the Egyptian delegation participating in the World
Conference of Workers held in Geneva during the month of June 2016.
This represented another attack against the movement of independent
trade unions that is actually the real representative of workers
suffering from the violation of their rights.
The battle around the law of trade unions’ freedoms is
still ongoing between a draft law presented by the government in the
absence of any social debate including several contraventions of Egypt’s
international commitments, and another draft law that was jointly
developed and agreed upon by representatives of independent trade
unions, thematic and geographic federations, as well as legal and
economic experts.
Freedom of expression and of organizing are being
systematically prohibited and represent a major label of the ruling
force policies; this dead end horizon is not promising whatsoever and
does not allow for an effective dialogue at the social level enabling to
enhance the productivity and to open the door for
improved means of human development. On the contrary, it looks rather
like the last closed bastion, i.e. the corner where the player finds
himself besieged.
Center for Trade Unions and Workers Services (CTUWS)
December 25, 2016
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