A link to a campaign of Labourstart, thanks for Eric Lee:

http://www.labourstart.org/go/egypt

In a hearing held on Wednesday September 27th 2017 the felonies appeal court in the South Giza Court decided to release both Tarek Ibrahim Fathi (aka Tarek Al Kashef and Mohamed Bassiouny Hassan Badr, the union leaders in the General Tax Authority Union. On September 17th the general prosecution decided to extend the detention of the two union leaders for four days pending the report number 13764 for 2017 Al Omrania felonies. Al Omrania felonies court was supposed to review their case on Tuesday September 26th September but this hearing was postponed because it was not possible to transfer the accused (for security reasons!!).

While the detention order was being reviewed last Tuesday, the court decided to release the union leaders but the prosecution  as has become the custom- appealed the verdict and a hearing was set for September 27th to decide upon the appeal. The court decided to reject the appeal and ordered their release.

It is worth mentioning that the beginning of last week witnessed an intensive security campaign that targeted the leaders of the independent tax authority union that resulted in the arrest of seven union leaders from the real estate union, two members of the general taxes union and two union workers employed at the electricity company. After the court order releasing the workers in the general taxes union the following remain in Sirbay Prison in Tanta:

Tarek Mostafa Shoaib- the head of the real estate taxes union (Kafr Shokr  Qalioubia)

Said Ali Mohamed Gamea- member of the real estate taxes union (Kafr el Zayat- Gharbia)

Ayman Fathi Sabagh- member of the real estate taxes union (Berket Al Saba- Monofia)

Atef Fathi Mohamed Sayed- head of the secondry union for real estate workers (Al Wadi Al Gadid)

Mohamed Abdel Hamid Hassan- member of the real estate taxes union (Al Minya)

Mahmoud Mohamed Zidan Gad el Karim- member of the real estate taxes union (Sadfa- Assiout)

Yasser Badry Mansour Ahmed- member of the real estate taxes union (Abnoub- Assiout)

Mohamed Hendawi Said- labour leader in the electricity company (Samanoud- Gharbia)

Abdel Ghani Qadous- labour leader in the electricity company (Samanoud- Gharbia)

They were all detained according to Kafr El Zayat administrative report number 12004 for the year 2017 and were presented to the prosecution office that decreed that they should be detained for four days pending investigation. The felonies court reviewed their detention order on Tuesday and Wedensday 18 and 19 September and ordered their release with bails ranging from 1000 to 5000 pounds. The prosecution appealed the decision. This appeal was reviewed by the felonies appeal court which ruled that they should be detained for 15 days. Accordingly the court is supposed to review the detainment renewal on Monday October 2nd. 

The Center for Trade Union and Worker Services welcomes the release of Tarek El Kashef and Mohamed Bassiouny and demands the speedy completion of their release procedures and demands, again, the immediate release of the 9 union members that are still imprisoned according to an administrative report void of any specific accusations and is contradictory to reality and law. 

CTUWS objects again to this campaign that targeted prominent unionists in strong unions that have practiced their role effectively in expressing the will of its members and does not follow the orders of anyone other than its members. It stresses that it rejects the security forces method in dealing with the independent labour and union movement. 

The defunct accusations of incitement to demonstrating and striking are nothing more than a stark and amazing declaration of disrespect for the constitution, and transgressing against the international labour standards and insistence on denying union freedoms. 

The clear message of this security campaign that aims at scaring union workers and planting despair in their hearts succeeds desperate attempts by some governmental parties and the governmental unions to convince them to give up their independence and come under the banner of one governmental union. This message comes a few weeks before the discussion of the draft law for unions in the parliament. It however reveals a direction that lacks wisdom and tries to find a way out of the labour freedoms obligation that has been postponed for years.

Again Independent unions are here to stay.. Independent unions have become a reality on the ground and attempts to terminate them or deny them will be to no avail. 

CTUWS again thanks everyone who has expressed solidarity with the arrested union workers among international and Arab unions and all democratic forces. It however pleads to you to continue this solidarity with them and with all Egyptian workers rights in forming their independent unions that express their will and rights and the right of these unions to perform their role and activities.

The Center for Trade Union and Worker Services

On Thursday 28/9/2017