A number of independent unions and labour leaders met today, Friday 18^th 2016, according to an invitation from The Center for Trade Union and Worker Services in its offices in 88, Kasr Al Eini Street. The attendees came from Cairo, Helwan, Alexandria, Al Mahala, Al Sadat, Suez, Ismailia and Port Said and represented various sectors. They discussed the recently circulated laws about labour organizations especially the draft law that had been attributed to the “official” Egyptian Union of Syndicates.

The participating unions expressed their surprise at the suggestion presented by the “official” union which is no more than a negligibly amended copy of the expired current law number 35 for the year 1976 which is deviant from the new Egyptian constitution and international agreement and starkly violates labour freedoms. Despite its fragility, this law comes in the context of the continuous attack on independent union starting with the two periodic leaflets by the cabinet and the ministry of interior that were issued within the past three months. They intended and contained a besiegement of these unions. The attack ended with the repeated hostile statements by the minister of labour and migration that included straightforward denial of the principles of basic union freedoms.

The unions concluded that they agree on taking several steps to defend the freedom, democracy and independence of union work especially addressing Egyptian public opinion to explain to them the importance of unions that have independent will and a democratic structure and their decisive role in developing societal dialogue and negotiations and preserving society’s balance and stability. 

Messages to this effect are to be sent to the parliament, political parties, democratic forces and other civil society organizations, in addition to presenting a draft law that guarantees labour freedoms and abides with the constitution and international agreements to the parliament.

The participating unions asserted their insistence on the principles of labour freedoms upon which they had been established and that were stated in their constitutions (their basic statutes) and their refusal of any statements by any of their representatives if it contained a regression on any of these principles especially the right of workers to freely form their unions without being forces or a single union organization being imposed on them at the level of the establishment or the industry. The right of workers to join or leave. The right of unions to amalgamate or separate. The right of everyone to preform union related activity without guardianship or intervention from anyone.

The Center for Trade Union and Worker Services (CTUWS)

Friday 18/3/2016