Violations started with a number of opposing statements against labor protests and ends with the following breaches: Arresting number of unionists, lying off 39 labors among leaders of independent unions, referring 32 unionists to public prosecutor for going into strikes, and sentencing 5 unionists to 3 years of prison. In addition, several workers have subject to administrative interrogations.
The 100 days of Morsi’s rule have witnessed remarkable labor protests calling for fair wages and opposing the overwhelming corruption in governmental institutions.
The government has not dealt with oppositions in a revolutionary manner as expected. The same practices of the old regime have been followed. These practices include for instance utilizing government- owned newspapers to defame protesting labors, prosecuting and laying off unionists, in addition to sentencing leaders of independent unions to prison. These actions have taken place specifically in Alexandria Container& Cargo Handling Company.
From a legal point of view, the constitutional declaration has empowered Dr. Morsi with both the executive and legislative authority, whereas, laws impeding freedom of trade unions remain as is. Moreover, the government has drafted number of laws institutionalizing chaining freedom. Minister of Justice for instance has drafted a bill to restore the emergency law. The ministry of interior reproduced a law to criminalize demonstration right. The worst of all were the Manpower ministers’ recommendations to amend trade unions law 35/76 and to delay issuing trade union freedom law.
These practices are consistent with the economic approach adopted during the 100 days. Both are against labors and the poor rights as they follow the open market policies with no social considerations ever.
Few months after the revolution, the Muslims’ Brothers and their ruling party have participated in discussions on the trade union freedom law; they kept announcing they are baking labors’ rights and pro establishing their independent unions. However, once they have stabilized, they started to refute all promises.
Though the Moslem Brothers represent the majority at the dissolved parliament, they followed the SCAF steps and impeded the trade union freedom law. It became apparent now that the Moslem Brothers have the intentions to practically curb labors’ rights and obstruct the establishment of more than 1200 independent labor unions.
Clear evasions became apparently clear after Dr. Morsi, the Moslem Brothers’ candidate has won election in July, and when Mr. Khaled Al Azhary, who belongs also to the Moslem Brothers, has been appointed as the Minister of Manpower and immigration Affairs.
By the end of the union election round, a new draft law has been introduced to amend 8 articles in the law 35/76. Such amendments guarantee getting rid of the ex NDP members while replacing them with Moslem Brothers’. We have managed to get a copy of the draft law. Amendments ensure that the whole idea of establishing independent unions would be crashed, and union board members’ above 60 would be excluded. The draft has been submitted to the cabinet on October, 3rd. It is composed of 8 articles canceling article # 23 35/76 pertaining to the establishment of labor unions and amending article # 42 of the same law.
Amendment of article # 52 entails that labors are not allowed to be a members at more than one union. Moreover, the amendment gives the company the right to discount the union membership fees from his/her salary.
Article # 35 is amended to ensure the validity of the financial policies currently applied at all unions. These polices are valid till changed at the first assembly meeting of each union to be conducted after the soonest election. The Ministry of Manpower and Immigration is in charge of receiving the establishment documents of unions for organizations which has no unions. The labor union law is valid including these amendments till the promulgation of a new law by the parliament. Finally, the union election round would be extended to 6 months.
Furthermore, different oppressing practices have been utilized by Moslem Brothers government, whereby the past 100 days have witnessed all forms of old repressions. Same as before, labor protests have been brutally oppressed even that a remarkable number of leaders have already been prisoned during the last few days.
This report tends to monitor and document violations against trade unions rights during the 100 days of Dr. Morsi’s rule. As it appears through the following bullets, the Moslem Brothers are adopting the same approach of the NDP in oppressing labors unions’ liberties.
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