Tag: workers
Amnesty International denounce closure of CTUWS
AI expressed its solidarity with Egyptian labor activists who are coming under attack from Mubarak’s dictatorial regime:
Amnesty International condemned the Egyptian government’s closure of a leading workers advice centre yesterday, on the eve of the country’s Labour Day, and said it undermined President Hosni Mubarak’s claims in a speech today that his government is committed to protecting workers’ rights. As a result of the forced closure of the Centre for Trade Union and Workers’ Services (CTUWS) office in Helwan, Cairo, the organization said Egyptian workers will be impeded from accessing information and advice about labour rights.
HRW denounce Mubarak’s crackdown on CTUWS
I received the following statement from Human Rights Watch:
The Egyptian government should immediately reverse its order to close the headquarters and two branch offices of the Center for Trade Union and Workers’ Services (CTUWS), Human Rights Watch said today.
Security officers on Wednesday closed the headquarters of the CTUWS, which offers legal aid to Egyptian factory workers, educates them as to their rights, and reports on labor-rights issues in the country. Police had closed two of the group’s branch offices in recent weeks. The Ministry of Social Solidarity has blamed the CTUWS for inciting labor unrest around the country.
“The government decision to shut down the Center for Trade Union and Workers’ Services is a serious blow to Egyptian civil society and workers’ rights,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The Egyptian government should address the causes of widespread labor unrest instead of going after workers’ rights groups.”