Central Security Forces troops have stormed the Egyptian Postal Service building in Ramses Sq., around an hour ago, breaking the sit-in staged by 350 temporary postal workers.
The workers had been occupying their building since last Monday, demanding job contracts.
Security forces besieged the building yesterday, and took five workers to the Azbakiya Police Station accusing them of “theft” and “destruction of public property,” and threatened the rest of the workers of worse fate if the sit-in wasn’t disbanded. The workers refused, and insisted on continuing.
There are on arrests reported but what happened today in Ramses is a message by the regime to the rest of Egypt’s workers and labor activists.
Past midnight last night I spoke to the dubious Nasr Abul Yezid, union rep, who assured me that the use of force to break up the strike was gheir warid, not a foreseeable option. And then within hours, this. Indeed, as you say, this sets a dangerous precedent.
Urgent update: it turns out according to participants in the sit-in, force was not used to break the sit in.
Serene, you’ll find my updated report here:
https://arabawy.org/2007/07/21/postal-workers-score-partial-victory/