Labor organizers and leftist activists are rallying for the Mahalla strikers. I received the following statement…
Solidarity Committee with Mahalla Workers
We, the undersigned announce the formation of a solidarity committee with Mahalla Spinning and Weaving workers, supporting their fight for their rights, which are basic and legitimate rights for all workers. We shall use all means to express our solidarity with the workers and their families for their courageous stand and their struggle to seize their rights.
We also call upon all workers in all locations to act in solidarity with their colleagues at the Mahalla Spinning and Weaving Company. We salute the initiative of the Grain Mills workers for their symbolic solidarity sit in, which they organized on the 23rd of September 2007 and their release of solidarity statements together with their colleagues in Shebeen El Kom Spinning and Weaving Company. We also salute the weaving workers in Kafr El Dawwar for their decision to organize a solidarity sit in with their Mahalla colleagues on the 25th of September 2007. We also salute the students, foremost the Tanta university students, for their release of several solidarity statements with the workers. We also salute all centers and movements who expressed solidarity with the workers.
We condemn the policy of terror which the regime is using in the face of the legitimate demands of the masses of workers.
We especially condemn Mahmoud El Gebali, chair of the management board of the Mahalla Spinning and Weaving Company and Mohsen El Gilani, chair of the Spinning and Weaving holding company for filing complaints against the workers struggling for their rights.
We condemn the policy of blockade, which has failed to intimidate the workers and has increased their determination to continue their strike for their rights.
We condemn the yellow puppet General Federation of Trade Unions and the Ministry of Labor who stand against the will of the workers and against their interests. We condemn the statement by the minister of investment to “wait” for the general assembly meeting since it is that same minister who issued the decree of disbursing a loan as an advance for the incentives until the general assembly meetings of all companies have been held. According to this decree LE2000 loans have been disbursed to all workers at the Iron & Steel and Kuk companies, as well as a two months pay to the rest of the companies. Why then are Mahalla workers denied the same treatment?
Signatories:
Grain Mills Company Workers, Helwan Iron and Steel workers, Cement Company Workers, Coordinating Committee for Trade Union Rights and Liberties, Workers For Change, Center for Trade Unions and Workers’ Services, Committee for Workers Solidarity, Kefaya Movement, Egyptian Antiglobalization Group (AGEG), Popular association for the Protection of Citizens from Corruption, Hisham Mubarak Law Center, Center for Socialist Studies, Afaq Ishterakeyya Center, Social Democratic party (under establishment).