Egypt’s biggest factory occupied by striking workers

26 September

Thousands of workers at the biggest textile factory
in the Middle East,
Misr Spinning and Weaving in Mahalla al-Kubra north of Cairo have been
occupying their plant since 23 September. The strikers are demanding
wage rises to meet the spiraling cost of living, payment of bonuses and
the impeachment of the factory management and the leaders of the
factory’s pro-government official union committee.
Thousands of workers across Egypt have already joined strikes and protests in solidarity with the Mahalla strikers. In December 2006 a successful strike by workers at the same company set off Egypt’s biggest wave of industrial action for decades, involving strikes by textile workers,
> postal workers and teachers.

Independent trade union activists frequently face
harassment and intimidation by the Egyptian authorities, while the official trade union movement is controlled by the government. The
following appeal for international solidarity with the Mahalla strikers
has been issued by the Centre for Socialist Studies in Cairo, which is
part of a wider > network of opposition and human rights groups
campaigning for change in Egypt.

To add your name to the solidarity statement below,
> or to send a message
> of support to the strikers: email rabab100@yahoo.com

To send condemnation letters to the Egyptian General
Federation of Trade Unions Fax # (+202)25740308 or Ministry of Labour
Fax # (+202)24037562
(please email a copy of the letter to the address
above). Send protests
to the Egyptian embassy in your country.

Read more about the strike here:

http://arabist.net/arabawy/
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN454477.html