Tag: workers

Workers For Change protest State Security’s violations

Posted on By 3arabawy

Around 50 activists from Workers For Change and Youth For Change protested for an hour, in front of the Public Prosecutor’s office, against State Security‘s violations against opposition candidates running for seats in the General Federation of Labor Unions. The elections are scheduled to start on 5 November, but already government violations are rampant. State Security is hasseling Leftist and Muslim Brothers candidates, elections posters have been taken down, activists have been also banned from running by security’s stalling their paper work.

Workers For Change protesting State Security's violations against candidates running for the Labor Unions elections

Demonstrators were cordoned by CSF troops, but no arrests or scuffles were reported.

UPDATE: Here’s a report from the Daily Star.

Police kidnap labor activist

Posted on By 3arabawy

Police kidnapped Muhammad Hassan, an activist with Workers For Change, an hour ago in front of the General Federation of Trade Unions HQ in Cairo. Hassan was distributing leaflets denouncing the security intervention in the labor unions electoral process, and warning of serious vote rigging to come. Security personnel nabbed him, and took him to al-Azbakeya Police Station which has a notorious history of police brutality.

Hassan is still locked up at this moment.

Meanwhile, 25 transportation workers are currently on a sit in inside the Federation’s HQ, protesting the hassels they are facing from the union bureaucracy in issuing their “candidacy certificate” (one of the red tape procedures a union candidate has to go through). And 13 other left-leaning workers from the Helwan steel mills have been eliminated from the candidacy list by State Security.

Workers For Change are calling for a demo, Monday 1 pm in front of the Public Prosecutor office in Ramses St., to protest the violations by the security services.

UPDATE: Muhammad Hassan has been released, after he was kept for three hours in police custody.