Brussels, 06/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 5 February, representatives from independent Egyptian trade unions called on European and Western leaders to take action to support the rights of Egyptians, including their union and labour rights. “We would like solidarity. For the governments to demand respect of citizens' fundamental rights and freedom of association”, said Emad El Araby from the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions (EFITU). The regional director for the Arab countries of the International Trade Union Confederation, Mustapha Tlili, called for “development of the regulatory framework which guarantees freedoms”.
“Egyptians have the impression that Western governments think that Morsi's regime is a strong regime, able to guarantee regional stability. The Morsi government contributes nothing to stability - quite the opposite”, warned Rahma Refaat from the Egyptian Democratic Labour Congress (EDLC). He called for the “social dimension to be part of the conditionality (for the West's support)”. This conditionality is also called for by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). “I am calling for the European Commission to always make the social dimension one of its priorities in its external relations and to be very attentive to the situation of social rights. We are not going to call on the member states and the EU to stop the cooperation but to make it conditional”, said Peter Seideneck.
The trade unionists stated that as soon as Morsi was elected he passed a decree that impedes the right of unions - a decree that is not in accordance with international labour standards. Neither enforced labour nor child labour are forbidden. Striking is only authorised if production continues and there are risks of imprisonment. “The government is trying to exert pressure for those initiating independent unions to be ousted, dismissed or sanctioned financially”, said the general president of the Egyptian independent tourism union, Bassem Halika. El Araby stated that in six months, 850 people affiliated to unions have been dismissed.
The Confederation of Workers Commissions (CCOO), together with the EDLC and EFITU, has launched a manifesto for union freedom in Egypt in order to “demand that the Egyptian government review the law on the freedom of association”, said Marisol Pardo Ruiz, CCOO secretary (our translation throughout). (CG/transl.fl)