More on the Mahalla textile workers protest

Posted on By 3arabawy

I received more photos of the protest held Saturday by the Mahalla textile workers, taken by journalist Muhammad Abul Dahab…

Al-Masry Al-Youm, I have to say, screwed up again with its sensationalist coverage. The report it ran claimed that 27,000 workers took part in the industrial action. This is NOT true. 27,000 is the total labor force at the company. Those who took part in yesterday’s action were 3000 according to Kareem el-Beheiry. Another estimate I heard from a journalist put the number of demonstrators at 10,000, saying most of the (morning) first shift workers participated in the demo.

Keep your eyes on Mahalla.

Anti-privatization protest

Posted on By 3arabawy

Kefaya activists are organizing a protest tomorrow Tuesday, 3 July, 9am in front of the State Council in Giza, to protest the government’s plans to privatize the state health insurance.

The Administrative Court will be looking into the lawsuit filed against the Prime Minister’s Decree no 637 for the year 2007, by which he laid the first steps into turning the state insurance system into a holding company, to be privatized later.

Police threatens Mahalla labor leaders

Posted on By 3arabawy

State Security has been summouning on a daily basis Ghazl el-Mahalla labor leaders, including Muhammad el-Attar and Sayyed Habib, for hours of interrogation before and following the protest held in the factory yesterday.

State Security officers threatened Attar and others of fabricating drug charges against them if they go ahead with the planned protest on 21 July. The labor activits were also offered “personal privileges” if they decided to cooperate with the security.

Are the security hassles having an impact? “No, no, no!” Attar told me. “I and my colleagues will continue to defend our rights and the rights of the workers in the factory. They will not scare me. They told me, ‘Go to the human rights organizations, and see if they do you any good.’ I know all Egyptians are behind us and support Mahalla. This gives us strength.”