One thousand gardeners went on strike today in my neighborhood, few blocks away from my house. Unfortunately, I was in Helwan then, so I missed it. But luckily, journalist (and neighbor) Jano Charbel managed to go and check out the scene. Here’s the report he sent me:
Around 1,000 Public Garden Workers on Strike at Nasr City’s International Garden
Around 300 garden workers employed at Nasr City’s International Garden (Al-Hadeeqa El-Dawliya, on Abbas El-Akkad St.) went on strike today, February 26. Forces from the interior ministry were hastily deployed in and around the garden.
Over 800 other garden workers, from seventeen other public/state-owned gardens, joined the strike in solidarity with the workers at the International Garden. The strike lasted from 9am until 1:30pm; “these strikes are expected to continue again from tomorrow and beyond until we start receiving our rights,” said a group of workers employed at the Nasr City garden.
Many of the workers employed at Cairo’s twenty-six public/state-owned gardens (the operations of which are all directed by the Governorate of Cairo) have expressed their dissatisfaction with these public gardens’ administrations.
Ali Saleh, a worker at the International Garden said “we are on strike due to a number of reasons – this garden makes very substantial profits, most of which go directly to the administrative personnel at the Governorate of Cairo. We are excluded from profit sharing. The wages that we receive are, by any standards, insufficient. A primary factor behind this strike is the fact that the majority of workers employed in Cairo’s state-run gardens are employed on temporary work contracts. Numerous workers have been on these temporary work contracts for over fifteen years!”
Saleh continued “our administration is unjust in its policies; it exploits us and treats us poorly.”
Another worker employed at the International Garden, who wished to remain anonymous “for security reasons,” said “there is no such thing as promotions in this garden. We are neither promoted in rank nor are our wages or incentives increased. Our work generates untold profits for this garden, yet we don’t receive our shares.”
None of the workers employed at the International Garden are unionized, they said.
The workers told Jano they were resuming their sit in tomorrow Tuesday at 10am.
I had no idea Egyptians went on strike in such an organized manner. I had no idea they went on strike period! I am impressed. I hope you’ll keep us posted on the results of the strike and if they receive any of their demands.
NN,
Unfortunately we were stuck with the state-owned press and TV that never reported on events like these. But now we have the blogs, as well as a relatively independent media that try to give some coverage of street activism and labor strikes.