Mahalla Updates: ‘This is a liberated zone’

I received the following statement from the Workers’ Coordination Committee:

Coordinating Committee for Trade Union and Workers Rights and Liberties
Statement No. 5
Concerns Regarding Possible Security Attack against Protesting Mahalla Workers
Although the prosecution has ordered the release of the eight workers arrested earlier, still security authorities continue to illegally hold them in custody, in Mahalla 2nd police station since 12 noon time and until the release of this statement at 9 p.m.
On the other hand the company management has distributed a leaflet today at 5 pm announcing the days 23/9 (date of beginning of sit in) until 30/9 to be “holidays” for the company, in an attempt to provide a legal pretext to force the workers to leave the company and end their strike. This move raises serious concerns, for either the decree was issued on the 23rd and had not been distributed until now, which is quite unlikely, or else it was issued today with an earlier date to provide a pretext to force the workers out of the company, since the company in on “official holiday”.
In the meantime harassment of the striking workers continues where electricity and water supplies have been cut from the company to force the workers, who are fasting in the month of Ramadan, to leave the premise.
As a reaction, the workers tore the leaflets and announced that they have been on strike since Sunday the 23rd of September and until their demands are met. They put up another banner stating” This is liberated territory and belongs to the weaving workers of Mahalla”. They continued chanting their slogans against company policies, the ministry of investment, the ministry of labor and the complicity of the official union federation.
In the meantime solidarity with the striking Mahalla workers is expanding, involving a solidarity demonstration by Kafr El Dawwar workers and another by Mit Ghamr waving workers, while Delta Weaving workers in Zefta and Tanta marched and chanted slogans of solidarity with their colleagues upon their entry and exit from the company. Several calls have been launched to establish a strike fund in the different companies and factories to support the Mahalla strike.
The committee recognizes that those maneuvers by the government and the management are attempts to provide a legal cover for a forceful eviction of the workers form the factory.
The committee warns those official bodies of the consequences of their plots of aggression and oppression against the Mahalla workers. Also, as the committee salutes the determination of the Mahalla weaving workers and their families and all social groups and forces who have expressed solidarity with them, it calls for a widening of the solidarity movement, to block attempts of aggression against Mahalla workers.
Coordinating Committee for Trade Union and Workers Rights and Liberties
25 September, 9 a.m.

Here’s the photo of the management statement posted by Kareem el-Beheiri:

Kareem reports that thousands of workers, angered by the management’s decree, tore down copies of the decree, chanted against the government and the ministerial cabinet, and raised posters that mocked the “Managerial Statement” reading: “Workers’ Statement: The Workers Refuse the Holidays.. Signed: Ghazl el-Mahalla Workers”

and another beautiful one that read: “This is a Liberated Zone.”

Videos of the demonstrations could be found here. My heart and thoughts go out to the Mahalla strikers.