YES! The news I was awaiting for has finally arrived. Kafr el-Dawar Textile Workers for Change have announced they are mobilizing for a strike Tuesday morning, in solidarity with Ghazl el-Mahalla workers, if the latter’s demands are not met by then.
UPDATE: Kareem el-Beheiri posted the Kafr el-Dawar Textile Workers’ statement on his blog.
Here’s a quick translation of the statement…
After closely following what is happening to our brothers and comrades from the Mahalla workers, and after all the efforts they did in order to reach a just settlement with the management, General Federation.. we find there was rightly no other choice in front of the Mahalla comrades but to strike. Diplomacy, delegations and pleas are not going to solve the workers’ problems. It’s the strike that can, and so be it…
We the workers of Ghazl Kafr el-Dawar have been in contact and consulting with fellow workers in the (company) halls and in Factory #4. We understand that the Mahalla workers are calling for several demands including:
1- Impeaching the company board chairman
2-Impeaching the Factory Union Committee officials
3-Linking the monthly incentives to a fixed percentage of the monthly basic salary
4-Increasing the food allowance to match in the increase in prices
5-Raising the salaries to match the increase in prices
6-Paying the workers their annual share of profits
7-Solving the transportation crisis
8-Paying the workers housing allowances
We, the labor leaders in Ghazl Kafr el-Dawar, announce our full solidarity with the Mahalla workers, and join them in the fight for their demands, which are similar to ours. We also demand that the (Kafr el-Dawar) management implements the rest of our demands, which they shelved away, including fixing the (transportation) buses and improving the medical services for the workers, and opening the door for promotions for those have earned diplomas.
Mahalla, We have taken an oath that we will follow you, and launch a strike by maximum Tuesday; by then we would have mobilized the biggest number of workers in the factory to support both your demands and ours. We affirm that this Tuesday will be a strike if your demands are not fully met… And let the strike take us to wherever they want us to go…
Kafr el-Dawar Textile Workers For Change
Sunday, 22/9/2007
My heart and thoughts go out to the strikers in Mahalla. Best of luck to the comrades in Kafr el-Dawar. If that strike goes well, expect a hot industrial autumn in Egypt.
THE WORKERS UNITED, WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED… DOWN WITH MUBARAK’S NEO-LIBERAL DICTATORSHIP…