EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION

Workers at the heart of the revolution

by Jesse McLaren

Independent trade unions have always been at the heart of struggles against repressive regimes—from the Solidarity movement in Poland to the fight against Apartheid in South Africa.

In Egypt, they began to emerge in the years leading to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, a process that has been accelerated by the revolution and that continues to push the revolution forward.

Since 1957 the state-controlled General Federation of Trade Unions has prevented Egyptian workers from fighting for better conditions, but this began to change after the Mahalla strike-wave from 2006 to 2007.

Radicalized by the Palestinian intifada in 2000, the global anti-war movement in 2003, and the Kefaya movement against Mubarak in 2004 and 2005, women textile workers in Mahalla launched a strike in 2006 that sent ripples throughout the country.

Strikes

In 2007 there were more than 500 strikes in Egypt involving half a million workers, including the property tax collectors who struck for three months and won a significant wage increase.

The democratically elected strike committee became a permanent structure, forming the first independent trade union. The Independent Teachers’ Syndicate followed suit in July 2010.

The revolution that began on January 25 dramatically accelerated the organization of workers who, in turn, provided the revolution with its key ingredient: mass strikes. On January 30 the Egyptian Federation of Independent Unions was launched in Tahrir Square.

A week later, workers took the spirit of Tahrir to the factories. Strikes spread to every sector of the Egyptian economy, including 6,000 workers at the Suez Canal on February 9. Two days later, Mubarak was forced out.

Permanent revolution

While the military regime and its masters—the corporations and the forces of Western imperialism—are trying to restrict the revolution to minor political reforms, the activity of ordinary workers is pushing the revolution forward. As Egyptian journalist and socialist Hossam el-Hamalawy wrote in May:

“Two things have changed in Egypt in the past 100 days which give me hope, and both relate to the fact that the revolution is unfinished. The first is that mass strikes are continuing. The second is that workers have taken the step of establishing independent trade unions, which I believe are the silver bullet for any dictatorship…. This is phase two of the revolution, the phase of socio-economic change. What we need to do now is take Tahrir to the factories, the universities, the workplaces. In every single institution in this country there is a mini-Mubarak who needs to be overthrown.”

Unions

Since the fall of Mubarak more than 150 independent trade unions have formed—from textile and aluminum workers, to postal and hospital workers, and even workers who issue marriage licenses.
In March doctors organized two national strikes demanding better wages for all workers, the removal of corrupt officials, and an increase in the health budget from three to 15 per cent of GDP.

On March 25 a hospital in Cairo launched an independent union uniting all hospital workers. Three days later the hospital manager was forced out—an experience that is starting to spread to other hospitals.

In April postal workers from across Egypt met to organize an independent union. According to Adil Hisham, a postal worker:

“Alongside supporting workers’ demands, we’ll be working on setting up our independent union as quickly as possible. … Now is the time for workers in Egypt to set up independent organizations to defend themselves from the bosses’ attacks, and to unite their demands in the wake of the victory of the revolution which opened the door to all workers to get organized and speak with one voice.”

May Day

On May Day the Egyptian Federation of Independent Unions mobilized the first national public demonstration for workers in over 60 years, and the Democratic Workers’ Party was launched to represent workers’ demands: raise the minimum monthly wage to 1,200 Egyptian pounds ($200 CAD), remove corrupt managers, re-nationalize privatized industries, and end Egypt’s ties with Israel.

In the first week of June there were strikes or protests by flight attendants, petrol workers, subway workers and Parliament workers, while pharmacists formed an independent union. At the end of June Suez Canal workers went back on strike.

Solidarity

There is also growing international solidarity with Egyptian workers. In June hundreds of British trade unionists sent a solidarity message demanding that the Egyptian regime respect the right to strike and protest, and that the British government stop selling weapons used to suppress strikes and protests.

For more information, visit menasolidaritynetwork.com or follow Hossam el-Hamalawy’s blog:arabawy.org.

In Canada, help build an emerging network of trade unionists in solidarity with Egyptian workers: email canada.egypt.solidarity@gmail.com.