Tag: sharqiya

‘The people are not scared anymore’

Posted on By 3arabawy

Ahmad Abdel Sabour is one of the leading Sharqiya Tax strikers.

Sharqiya has roughly 7,000 real estate tax collectors, working in 22 local offices scattered across the eastern Nile Delta province, in addition to a main directorate in Zagazig, the provincial capital. Recalling the December 2007 occupation, Ahmad says.

Everyone (in Sharqiya) was afraid in the beginning. They were scared of their bosses and from what State Security could do. At the first day of the occupation (in downtown Cairo) I was more or less alone – I was the only one from Sharqiya. But then as time passed, and as the (Hussein Higazi St) camp stood fast, delegation after the other started coming down from the (Sharqiya) province…
The people (tax collectors in Sharqiya) are not scared anymore. In the past, they used to, but now not anymore. Everyone is happy and proud of what we did in the strike… But this is not the end…. We still have rights and promises unfulfilled. There is support for building an independent union.

Blogger detained

Posted on By 3arabawy

Blogger Omar el-Sharqawi was detained today by Mubarak’s police, at 9:30am while covering the Shura Council elections in Sharqiya. He’s currently in Talkha Police Station.

10th of Ramadan textile strike end in VICTORY!

Posted on By 3arabawy

The 500-strong workers’ strike at NuNu Ikhwan Textile factory was suspended Thursday 7pm with the strikers scoring a victory. The workers had been on strike in the 10th of Ramadan industrial city since last Sunday, demanding their salaries, unpaid for six months.

The strike ended after an agreement was reached with the private owner and State Security officers, whereby:
1-The December 2006 salary was immediately paid to the workers.
2-The workers will be paid an extra third of their salary every month from now on, till the rest of their five-month unpaid salaries are received.

I’m APPALLED to say I did not come across a single news report in the Egyptian press about this strike, despite its militancy and the big number of workers taking part in the industrial action, facing intimidation from State Security officers who panicked with the workers taking their action outside the boundaries of their factory. During the strike, the workers assembled in front of the factory, carrying banners, and demonstrated on the highway where cars are traveling between Cairo and Ismailia.

Mabrouk…