I received a statement signed by the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, the Workers’ Coordination Committee and the Egyptian Workers and Trade Unions Watch with more details of the agreement between the government and the strikers.
There’s a mistake however in the last line. The statement says the tax collectors are threatening to resume their “strike” on 9 January if the govt betrays its promises. In reality however the strike resumes. The civil servants will go to their offices but will not collect the taxes. They are threatening to resume the downtown Cairo “sit-in” once again on 9 Jan if the agreement is not fulfilled.
While the Cairo protest has been called off, I’m receiving news from Mahalla that more than 1,000 workers and political activists have turned out to protest increase in prices of basic commodities. The demonstration is still going on now, and is taking place at El-Shoun Sq.
UPDATE: I chatted with Kareem el-Beheiri who attended today’s Mahalla’s protest:
حضر النهاردة المظاهرة حوالى 1000 شخص من مختلف البلاد
حضر حزب التجمع والوفد والناصرى والعمل والاخوان المسلمين وجبهة اليسار المصرى ولجنة الدفاع عن الصحة ولجنة الدفاع عن القطاع العام
ومواطنيين من المحلة الكبرى
الحالة الامنية كان الامن محاوط المظاهرة كلها
رفع الامن حالة الطوارىء امام هتافات المتظاهرين
من الهتافاات
ياهالينا ضموا علينا رغيف العيش مش لاقينة
اعلى واعلى وعلى الصوت اللى هيهتف مش هيموت
دقى ياساعة الشركة ياحرة على ايامنا السودا المرة
صحى النوم يازعيم
دا احنا اجورنا بالملاليم
صحى النوم يارئيس دا احنا وصلنا للتفليس
سيبوا الناس متمشوهاش ياللى بعتوا بلادنا بلاش
خلصت المظاهرة الساعة 2 الظهر