Category: Blog

The 55,000-strong Tax officers’ strike continues. The “Higher Strike Committee” of trade unionists who are running the strike issued a statement, which I translated into English:

The Higher Strike Committee Real Estate Taxes
Important Announcement
Dear Colleagues, the representative of the Finance Minister has interrupted the ultimatum we gave him to respond to our demands (21 November, 2007), only to notify us that the Finance Minister has rejected all our financial requests presented to him, saying response to these demands is to be regulated by the implementation of the new Real Estate Taxes Law. The latter is oppressive, and has been trying to see the light for years with no success.
Therefore,
We have decided to terminate the ultimatum, and go out on a sit-in in the heart of Cairo, until our demands are met:
1- Receiving equal treatment to our colleagues in the Cairo Real Estate Tax Authorities
2-Impeaching Ismail Abdel Rassoul, the head of the Real Estate Taxes Authorities

We declare that we are continuing with our strike, and call up on our colleagues, men and women, to take part in the open-ended sit-in in downtown Cairo, Tuesday 13/11/2007, at 12 noon, at the Egyptian General Federation for Trade Unions building in Galaa Street, so as to take our rights in a legitimate and peaceful means–by a striking and sitting in.

We will be victorious…
The Higher Strike Committee

Notice: For those colleagues in the distant provinces who cannot attend the Cairo sit-in, continue your strike and stay on the ground, and call: 0100678654 or 0126592540

More background about the struggle of Egypt’s civil servants could be found in this new article by Mustafa Bassiouny in the Lebanese Arabic Daily Al-Akhbar.