tax collectors archives — 3arabawy

Egypt independent trade unions endorse BDS

3arabawy — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:18:15 +0000

Press release:

London 2 July 2011

Representative of the Egyptian Independent Union Federation: “We call on the global trade union movement to cut links with the Histadrut and to support the Palestinian Trade Union Coalition for BDS”.

Kamal Abu Aita, representative of the Egyptian Independent Union Federation (EIUF) which was recently formed in Tahrir Square during the revolution, confirmed yesterday that the EIUF rejects any attempt to ‘normalise’ relations with Israel. In a speech in London to hundreds of activists from the campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, Abu Aita also welcomed the formation of the Palestinian Trade Union Coalition for BDS (PTUC-BDS) and called on the international trade union movement to join the coalition.

Abu Aita said: “The Egyptian Independent Union Federation has a very clear position and that is one of solidarity with the Palestinian Arab people, support for their right to a state in the whole of their land and support for their right to use all forms of resistance against the Zionist state. The EIUF announces its rejection of all forms of normal relations with the racist, settler Zionist state and we will not co-operate with any of its official or trade union bodies because they are all connected to the Zionist occupation of our land. It is impossible for us to work with this racist regime, and it is vital to build a movement of humanity which aims to get rid of racist regimes against the world, just as we got rid of the Apartheid regime in South Africa.

The Egyptian revolution opened the door wide for our people to express their rejection of the Zionist state. From the beginning, the revolution has worked in the interests of the Palestinians, by stopping the export of Egyptian gas to the Zionists, and opening the border crossings. Egyptian youth besieged the embassy of our enemy and demanded the expulsion of the ambassador.

We reject any relationship with the Histadrut because it is part of this racist regime. We call on all friendly unions to boycott the Histadrut as part of the campaign to get rid of racist regimes all over the world.”

Omar Barghouti, one of the founders of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), said:

“The support of the Egyptian independent unions, represented by their federation, for the Palestinian Boycott Campaign is a source of pride for us, just as we are proud of Egypt’s leadership in the march of freedom from imperialism both old and new. We look forward to the return of the spirit to the all the Arab peoples struggling for freedom and social justice, and to break away of dependency on imperialist domination.”

Statement – Egyptian Trade Unionists: Declaration of Independence / BDS

3arabawy — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:07:11 +0000

Statement:

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.

#Jan25 15/2/2011 Violence erupts at union protest

3arabawy — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:50:56 +0000

Around 100 independent trade unionists, on 15 February, held a protest in front of the headquarters of the state-backed Egyptian Federation of Trade Unions, denouncing its corrupt president Hussein Megawer, an NDP businessman close to the Mubarak’s clique. The protesters tried to enter the lobby of the building peacefully, only to be met with glass bottles, rocks, sticks and fire extinguishers from the EFTU thugs.