Thousands of workers at the North & South of Cairo, Giza Company resumed their sit-in today 9am, to protest the govt’s decision to divert the grains supply to private sector firms, in a move signalling the regime’s intent to privatize/liquidate the public sector company. The workers have other demands related to their bonuses and social insurance.
The Center for Socialist Studies’ solidarity statement has more details, in Arabic, about the Giza and Cairo sit-ins, as well as updates on the Grain Mills in Minya where workers are threatening industrial action.
I reported previously that the workers had started a strike. I was wrong. It is a sit-in not a strike. The workers have occupied the factory, one shift following the other, but the production is still going. The Grain Mills are among the “strategic sectors” where strikes are banned by law; other strategic sectors include electricity, military factories, etc. A halt in production in the Grain Mills, means the subsidized bread in Cairo and Giza will basically vanish. I was told by a Socialist activist who’s in touch with the workers in the company that a strike in the Grain Mills “is some f$%king serious business. The army could be even called in to crush it.”
The workers had started their sit-in Thursday, but suspended it on the weekend (that coincided with the Prophet Muhammad Birthday holidays) after being promised by the Labor Ministry their demands will be looked into. The workers threatened to resume their sit-in Monday morning, if their demands were not met.
Despite the government’s statements about its efforts to solve the crisis, nothing happened. The sit in was resumed today at the company’s branches in Giza, Sharabeya and Sayyeda Zeinab; and reportedly a number of workers have started a hunger strike at 6pm.
I’ll update the posting if I receive more info.