Egyptian Independent Union Federation
28 June 2011

In light of the growing controversy about the independent trade unions and malicious accusations and allegations aimed at undermining the Egyptian workers’ movement and the trade unions which it created, we, the representatives of the independent unions, are signing this statement of the fundamental principles on which they are being built and on which trade unions which represent workers are founded.

1. The independent unions have appeared in Egypt ending an era during which trade union work has been monopolised by the state and the ruling party, and this is due to the struggle of the Egyptian workers and their sacrifices, and nobody can claim otherwise. At the same time we extend our thanks and greetings to all those who support the principles of trade union freedom and the right to organize so long as this support is without conditions.

2. The independent unions confirm their independence from all political parties, official institutions and organizations, human rights organizations, and individuals. The independent unions confirm that they only follow the wishes of the general assemblies of their members and that the principle of independence is a general principle which applies to all without exception. In the same vein, the independent unions assert that only elected representatives from the base of the unions have the right to speak on behalf of the trade unions and declare their positions, and that no outside parties have the right to do so, unless those positions have been agreed by the elected representatives of the independent unions.

3. The independent unions depend for their funding on the contributions of their members and will not accept financial support from any other source at home or abroad. The general assemblies have complete authority for the financial supervision of the unions. We affirm that this principle self-reliance and self-funding is an inseparable part of the principle of independence on which the unions were founded.

4. We affirm that this principle of independence dates from before the revolution and that the revolution came to bless this perspective and to issue laws to protecting this same principle, the first of which was the constitutional declaration on the freedom to form unions the announcement of the principle of trade union freedoms. This declaration contributed to Egypt’s name being removed from the ILO blacklist of countries violating workers’ rights as did the draft law on trade union freedoms. We affirm that the principle of independence is not tied to an individual or a government but is a fundamental right of all of who work for a wage in this country, and they will not give it up in any circumstances.

5. The independent unions completely reject any form of normal relations with the Zionist enemy, as they reject all forms of co-operation with any person or organization who is involved in normalisation or is calling for normalisation. We affirm our complete support for the right of the Arab Palestinian people to create an independent state in the whole of Palestine, and their right to use whatever means of resistance to achieve their rights. We affirm also that one of the principal reasons for our rejection of the old Egyptian Trade Union Federation is its subservience to the state and the National Democratic Party, and its participation in a visit to occupied Jerusalem and its failure to take any position opposing the policy of normalisation, such as the QIZ [Qualified Industrial Zones] Agreement and the gas supply agreement and other policies which the Egyptian Trade Union Federation by its silence supported while the Egyptian workers’ movement rejected them and was resisting them.

6. The independent unions value the Arab people’s struggle for freedom and social justice.

Long live the Egyptian Revolution!
Eternal glory to the Martyrs!

Egyptian Independent Union Federation

Signatories:
1. The Real Estate Tax Authority Union
2. The General Public Transport Authority Workers’ Union
3. The General Union of Civil Aviation Pilots
4. The General Union of Builders and Woodworkers
5. The Egyptian Peasants’ Union
6. The General Union of Antiquities Workers
7. The General Union of Sales Tax Workers
8. The General Union of Health Sciences
9. The General Independent Union of Teachers
10. The General Union of Communications Workers
11. The Manshiyet al-Bakri Hospital Workers’ Union
12. Du’aa Hospital Union
13. The General Union of Workers in the Ministry of Labour
14. The Media Production Workers Union
15. The General Union of Pensioners

Original statement in Arabic here.

During one of my recent daily visits to one of the Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ) garment factories in Shobra El Kheima known as Misr Taiwan, I was astonished at the close relationship between the factory’s upper management and Amn El Dawla (State Security Police). I saw a person visiting there daily and overheard that he was getting the “daily report.”

When I asked the executive assistant what does “the daily report” mean and who was he? I heard what I didn’t want to hear.

He explained that those daily reports are between Amn El Dawla and the management of the factory on “workers behavior” especially pertaining wages and “behavior of the workers in organizing against the status quo or causing any political or non-political unrest.”

I was told by him that this officer of Amn EL Dawla named Mounir, was seen as a “friend” who visits on a daily basis and even given some clothes at times to keep tight connection with Dakhlia just in case any “problems” arise.

I was curious to know how deep or intrinsic was this relationship between Amn El Dawla and factory owners, so I asked if Amn El Dawla had helped before in diffusing any planned strikes or workers demands in order to keep “the peace.”

He told me that many times some checks were still clearing at the banks, so Amn El Dawla would intervene to speed up the process for them in order for the workers to get paid on time in fear of a strike.

Also another example was when the management itself would use Amn EL Dawla as their “arm or stick” to just scare the worker if the worker is “misbehaving” or causing “trouble” whether politically or attempting to shake-up the status quo.

There are usually gifts given to high officers in hopes of gaining a powerful ally and greeting cards during holiday given to company owners in return. The relationship seemed to be based on mutual interests; factory exploits the workers, and Amn EL Dawla makes sure that the workers are repressed while being exploited, which sadly only benefits them both on behalf of the workers.

On the same day that this took place, one of the factory’s share holders received a call from Al Amn EL Qawmi (National Security Agency, or Mukhabrrat) asking if there was any “unrest, or changes in workers’ behavior regarding the recent events that took place after the Tunisian uprising,” and the owner was laughing and saying that “all is well here, we have it all under control, workers are fine, paid on time, business as usual, but if there are any problems, we will contact you.”

I was in the room when this happened, so as soon as he hung up, and I knew what was the call all about. I asked, “Does this happen regularly?” The shareholder replied “it is rarely when Al Amn El Qawmi that calls, usually it is just Mounir here or calls from Amn El Dawla, this is unusual.”

I was thinking of course, they are scared shitless of any workers up-rise because they know the end is near, and it will be where power lays, with the masses, the workers!

Workers in a Mahalla textiles factory have been awarded partial back-payments of their salaries a day after hundreds of workers protested in the streets of the Delta town.
Workers from the Aboul Seba’ factory chanted slogans against factory owner Ismail Aboul Seba’ on Wednesday after promises that they would be paid their outstanding salaries were not kept.
Muhammad Maree writes on his blog egytimes.org that “workers have forced the company to pay out salaries due on Sept.5 2009, meaning that they only have one other outstanding salary payment due to them.”
“They have a promise from security bodies and company management that they will receive this salary payment after the Eid holiday,” Maree continues.
Maree says however that a notice pinned up inside the factory announcing that all employees must take an obligatory 15-day unpaid holiday has left workers feeling uncertain about their future with the company.

Abul Sebae strikers condemn police brutality against their industrial action. The company is part of the US-Israeli sponsored Qualified Industrial Zones.

It was supposed to be the next best thing for Egypt’s economy, which had become stagnant by the end of 2004, so when the country agreed to the establishment of the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) in 2005, there was much praise to go around. Although the economic zones have been successful in terms of business, the realities on the ground have shown there is still much to be desired.
In 2005, following the example of fellow Arab nation Jordan, Cairo jumped on the opportunity to use Israel as a middle-man to the American market.
U.S.-based companies were quick to launch their assault on the new market, establishing factories in the country.
Well-established American brands, including Levi’s, Gap, Calvin Klein and Wal-Mart, have taken advantage of the QIZ to use cheaper labor to manufacture products without the extra costs of duties upon returning the United States. All that is needed in order to be granted the duty-free status is at least 10.5 percent of every Egyptian product has Israeli components.
There are four geographic regions designated as QIZs in the country. These areas encompass Egypt’s largest industrial centers, including eight public free zones. Greater Cairo and Alexandria are the country’s most important textile and clothing manufacturers, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt said on its website.
“US-Egyptian trade is at an all-time high. Since 2004, annual bilateral trade has increased 77 percent to U.S. $7.7 billion. That reflects a 77 percent increase in trade in both directions,” former American Ambassador to Egypt Francis J. Ricciardone told reporters in March 2008 at the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo.
The statistics are staggering, proving the new outsourcing is successful.
The export of textiles and ready-made garments to the United States jumped to around U.S. $875 million in 2007, up from U.S. $580 million in 2004, the year of the QIZ’s inception. Egyptian ministry of trade figures say that a major reason for this rise is a 33 percent increase in the ready-made industry and lines, which rose 163 percent in 2007 to U.S. $25 million.
American companies and officials are pleased with the economic expansion.
“A unique part of Egyptian-US trade relations is the QIZ program,” Riccardone said. “The QIZ is maturing into a solid component of Egypt’s trade relations with the United States. Last year alone, QIZ exports increased 10 percent to U.S. $689 million, mostly in textiles.”
Sounds appealing. However, not all is well in the industrial zones. A string of ongoing strikes and protests have nearly paralyzed a number of the QIZ companies in the Nile Delta region. Workers argue that they have been unable to get paid, work in poor conditions and have been forced to sign their resignation letters without a date so employers can simply let them go when they demand their rights.
Despite reports of appalling conditions in the companies factories, which a number of activists and bloggers have referred to as “mega-sweatshops,” the office of the Four Seasons Ready-Made Garments, said the working conditions are “above the average Egyptian standard.”
The official working in the public relations office, refused to give his name, but added that “the QIZ zones are up to the working standards of any foreign company and it is the policy to ensure everyone is able to have their rights dealt with in a normal and timely manner.”
Tell that to 24-year-old Alaa Gameel, who spoke recently with Al-Masry Al-Youm on the situation. He joined the Abul Sebae Textile factory, one of the QIZ-affiliated companies in the Nile Delta town of Mahalla, as a 14-year-old minor, was never given a contract and works 12 hour days for a wage of around LE11, or $2 US.
According to him, he was forced to sign his resignation without a date on the paper when he was hired. Adding to this, he is without health insurance, has no retirement benefits and as of early August, has not been paid the past three months.
“This is something common in Mahalla,” said Gameel. “They can fire any worker at anytime, and not give him compensations or retirement pay.”
But, Washington and Tel Aviv don’t appear worried. American businessmen have entered an almost untouched market of cheap labor, and although strikes have begun to erupt across the QIZ zones, for the most part, the workers have taken the hits and kept moving.
An American businessman, who previously oversaw production at one of the factories – from a distance, argued that the “Egyptian government doesn’t seem to have a problem with what is going on, so why should we bother to change our ways.”
John Brian, who refused to give the company he worked at, but did say it was an American corporation, says that the QIZ are the only part of the Egyptian economy that is able to supply proper export quality materials to the rest of the world.
“They [Egypt] would be lost without these factories, so it gives them the opportunity to get foreign companies to work here. It’s good for the economy,” Brian continued.
“The cost of running a factory in Egypt is much less than in the States and with the QIZ we are still able to sell the products at close to the same price because the duties have not been risen.”
It may be good for the companies, even the Egyptian government, but is it really good for the workers such as Gameel, who must fight for every piaster, literally?

One worker is named Abdel Halim Mahmoud, while the other’s is still unknown.

The Abul Sebae company is part of the US-Israeli-Egyptian QIZ partnership and exports towels to Israel.

More updates soon.

UPDATE: The two are still kept in Mahalla’s 1st Police Station. It turned out they were sacked on Saturday by the management for their involvement in the strikes. The workers went on Sunday morning to the company to inquire about and protest the decision, but were nabbed by the police while entering the company.

“They were accused of stealing cables,” said a Mahlla labor source. “These are fabrications. Abul Sebae cooked it up with the police. They wanted to get rid of them because of the sit-ins and the strikes.”

One worker is called: Abdel Halim Mahmoud Sayyed Ahmad, but we only know the first name of the second worker, Abdel Moneim.

UPDATE: A report by Tadamon.

…investors significant long-term advantages over other preferential trade agreements due to its ongoing commitment with no expiration date and no reduction in tariff schedules.
The benefits of Egypt’s QIZ are various; ease of access to US markets being the most important, with open, unlimited quota as well as exemption of tariff and non-tariff barriers. Other benefits include: low factor costs as well as a huge supply of labor force. Enhanced by the added benefits of trade agreements with other markets, Egypt is ideally-suited to provide countless economic benefits to industries located within these zones. The positive economic impact of the QIZ to date has been such that foreign investors and Egyptian companies alike are continually seeking to locate and qualify their businesses within these zones in order to increase their competitiveness and profitability.
Exports from Egypt have greatly risen since QIZ began, with the bulk of these exports going to US markets. Furthermore, companies exporting under the QIZ have enjoyed higher profits as a result of their unrestricted duty-free access.
As QIZ companies continually expand to keep up with this growth, Egypt is benefiting through a decreasing unemployment and a strengthening economy which would eventually strengthen Egypt’s position on the world economic map.

The truth is work conditions in the QIZones are APPALLING mega-sweatshops, where businessmen can run amok with no accountability. Moreover, they receive the blessing of Washington and Tel Aviv as some free trade warriors and peace seekers.

They talk about “growth, positive impact and strengthening Egypt’s position on the world economic map.” Tell that to 24-year-old Alaa Gameel, the worker I interviewed for Al-Masry Al-Youm. He had joined the factory as a 14 year old minor, never given a contract, works 12 hours a day for a daily wage of LE11 (US$2), and had to already sign a resignation with a blank date so that the owner could fire him at any moment, doesn’t have health insurance, doesn’t have retirement funds, and hasn’t gotten paid for three months.

That’s free trade for you.