The Egyptian authorities have arrested eleven leading activists in the independent unions over the past week, stepping up pressure on the workers’ movement following the victimisation of textile workers in Mahalla after a major strike in August. Eight independent trade unionists were seized in a series of nation-wide raids on their homes on 16 September,…
The struggle of workers in Mahalla for decent pay and the right to organise and strike has touched a chord with trade unionists around the world. Within hours of the launch of our solidarity statement, messages of support have come in from trade unionist activists and leaders in New Zealand, the UK, the USA and…
Eight workers at Misr Spinning in Mahalla have been victimised by management and accused of leading the two-week long strike which took place in the Egyptian textile town at the beginning of August. Thousands of workers in the state-owned spinning mills and garment factories which make up the Misr Spinning complex went into occupation in…
Workers at the state-owned Misr Spinning and Weaving Company [MSWC] have returned to work after a fourteen-day strike. After two weeks of strike action, the 16,000 striking MSWC workers resumed work after the company management and a committee of local MPs promised to meet their pay demands within a week. The workers had been on…
Three thousand workers from the state-owned Misr Spinning and Weaving Company [MSWC] gathered outside the company headquarters in Mahalla on Tuesday to protest the decision to shut down electricity at the factories, and the continued refusal to meet workers’ demands. Workers at MSWC have been on strike since Sunday 6 August over the delayed payment…
Thousands of workers at the state-owned Misr Spinning complex in the Egyptian town of Mahalla began a strike on Sunday 6 August in protest at the delayed payment of bonuses, worth ten percent of their annual salaries. Pictures on social media and independent news websites show workers occupying parts of the factory. Attempts by the…
In a statement released today, leading academics and trade unionists from major UK and Australian universities condemned the tactics used by managers at the American University in Cairo (AUC) to end a strike by cleaning staff who are being laid off in preparation for the privatisation of the university’s Housekeeping service. Workers began a sit-in…
Middle East Solidarity magazine Issue 6 available from July 2017 Print copies £3 each or £20 for 10 (plus postage). Order direct from Bookmarks Bookshop A pdf version is available to download here: Middle East Solidarity issue 6 On the cover: Palestine: Resistance is Still Fertile Following a mass campaign of solidarity with hunger strikes by…
Veteran socialist activist Kamal Khalil was arrested this morning from his home, according to a Facebook post from his wife, who shared a picture of their home after security forces had searched it. Kamal is one of many Egyptian activists detained in recent weeks as part of an on-going crackdown which aims to silence critical…
An appeal court in Egypt has reduced lengthy jail sentences imposed on striking workers from Torah Cement. The court ruled on 18 June to cut the workers’ sentences from 3 years to two months. The Torah Cement workers are the latest group of worker activists in Egypt to face harsh repression for demanding their rights,…
UPDATE 18 June – appeal court reduces Torah Cement workers’ sentences from 3 years to 2 months in jail Security guards who took part in a sit-in to demand a contract after years of service with Torah Cement company were sentenced to three years in jail after a rushed, unfair trial in May this year.…
Hundreds of protesters converged on the Journalists’ Union building in downtown Cairo on 13 June, as Egypt’s parliament prepared to discuss a the controversial decision by the military regime to sell the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia. Security forces stormed the building and seized at least six protesters, according to reports from Egyptian…
