Aktionsverbot für Betriebskomitee in der Stahlbranche

Presseerklärung des CTUWS

Zum Beschluss die Aktivitäten des Gewerkschaftskomitees bei der Nasr Gesellschaft für Stahlröhren einzustellen

(Dt Zusammenfassung hrw)

Der Vorstand der General Engineering & Metallurgical Workers' Union Ägyptens hat am 12.Februar 2005 dem Vorsitzenden des Gewerkschaftskomitees und allen seinen Mitgliedern bei der Nasr-Gesellschaft für Stahlröhren und Zubehör durch einen Brief des Gewerkschaftsvorsitzenden Abdel-Moneim al-Ghazali die weitere gewerkschaftliche Aktivität untersagt - ohne irgendeine vorherige Ankündigung, Vorwarnung oder Ähnliches. Die allgemeine Begründung gegenüber dem 11 Mitglieder zählenden betrieblichen Gewerkschaftskomitee, das von über 2.400 Kollegen gewählt worden war: Vorwürfe bezüglich der "Legalität" ihrer Aktionen, es seien "Untersuchungen" im Gange.

Von Staatssicherheitsleuten hätten die Komiteemitglieder erfahren, dass der Vorstandsbeschluss bereits am 15.Januar 2005 gefasst worden sei - was auf Anfrage zunächst abgeleugnet worden sei - und ebensolche waren die Quellen, die zu den Gründen des Beschlusses informierten, es sei die "gewerkschaftliche Aktivität".

In der Presseerklärung des CTUWS wird dazu betont, dass alle Aktivitäten des Komitees ausschliesslich "normale Gewerkschaftsarbeit" waren: Aus Anlass betrieblicher Auseinandersetzungen - wie die sechs Monate lang ausbleibende Bonuszahlung für die Belegschaft oder die Reduzierung der Bonussumme für einen Teil der Belegschaft - waren verschiedene Aktionen organisiert worden: Sit-Ins am Sitz der Gesellschaft im September, Oktober und Dezember 2004, ein Hungerstreik einiger Komiteemitglieder am 2.Januar 2005 und ein Solidaritäts-Sit-In von Teilen der Belegschaft am 3.Januar. Von diesen Aktionen wurde der Gewerkschaftsvorstand stets frühzeitig unterrichtet, ohne dass irgendetwas dazu gesagt wurde.

Der ganze Vorfall, so CWTUS in der Presseerklärung, zeige nicht nur die Verfassung der Gewerkschaft deutlich, sondern auch den reaktionären Charakter der Arbeitsgesetze, die so ein Vorgehen erlaubten: 20 Leute eines Vorstandes nehmen 2.400 Arbeitern ihre gewählte Vertretung weg...

(Wer dem gewerkschaftlichen Betriebskomitee seine Solidarität ausdrücken möchte, kann das über die unten angegebenen Faxnummern tun - es wird englisch gesprochen. hrw)

Center for Trade Union and Workers' Services - CTUWS

Press Release

Decision to Stop the Activities of the Union Committee Members of the Nasr Compapy for Steel Pipes & Accessories because they Defended Labor Rights

The members of the Union Committee of the Nasr Company for Steel Pipes and Accessories were shocked to be notified on Saturday, 12 February 2005 of a decision to stop them from exercising their union activities pending investigations of incidents they were accused of, incidents that were solely restricted to these union leaders performing their union duties in defending the rights of the workers who elected them.

During the past five months Nasr Company for Pipes witnessed two disputes between the workers and the management which resulted in some labor protests led by the Union Committee which exerted major efforts to achieve labor demands and reach a satisfactory solution concerning the mentioned two disputes which can be summarized as follows:

- The company management refused to pay six months in bonus similar to other public enterprise sector company. The Minister of Investment and Public Enterprise Sector had announced (announcement published in al-Akhbar newspaper on Saturday, 2 October, 2004) a decision to disburse the agreed upon percentage of the bonus during the first week of October.

- A decision was taken to stop the company's Casting activities which resulted in reducing the bonus of workers in this sector (580 workers) from 180% to 120% and the possible reduction in bonuses received by other workers in the company by the same rate.

- The Union Committee did its best to settle these disputes through negotiation and addressed all relevant authorities starting with the company management, through the holding company to the Ministry of Investment & Public Enterprise Sector. The negotiations met with obstacles and the management's refusal to respond to labor demands or reach acceptable solutions at a time when workers face strong pressures due to the constantly increasing prices which renders any actual reduction in pay or previously acquired rights would push the workers and their families to the edge of starvation.

Due to the above the company's Union Committee led a number of protests, including frequent sit-ins at the company's headquarters in September, October and December 2004, as well as a hunger strike on part of members of the Union Committee on 2 January, and a sit-in on part of the company’s workers on 3 January in solidarity with their Union Committee members.

The Union Committee always notified the General Engineering & Metallurgical Workers' Union of all its movements. The Committee even addressed the Union through detailed memoranda explaining the conditions and labor demands asking for urgent intervention and negotiation with relevant authorities to reach satisfactory solutions. The Committee never received any serious attention to the mentioned conditions and demands.

Rather than show solidarity with and provide support for the struggle of the Union Committee of the Nasr Pipes Company workers, the board of directors of the Engineering, Metallurgical and Electric General Union headed by Abdel-Moneim al-Ghazali, in its meeting 23, decided to stop the activities of the chairman and members of the Union Committee pending investigations.

Although the General Union board of directors completely denied when asked about what Union Committee members had learned from a state security officer that their activities have been stopped, they were faced with the fact that the decision had been issued since January 15 but were notified of it only on 12 February.

The correspondence issued by the General Engineering, Metallurgical and Electric Industries Union signed by the Union's chairman Abdel-Moneim al-Ghazali and addressed to the chairman of the Nasr Pipes Company Union Committee announcing the suspension of his and all union member activities failed to clarify the nature of the violations they were accused of for which they were referred to investigation and prevented from exercising their union activities. However, they learned from unofficial conversations and information obtained through state security is that they were punished for adopting labor demands and leading labor protests.

The measure taken against the members of the Union Committee of the Nasr Company for Steel Pipes and Accessories clearly demonstrates the nature of the restrictions crippling honest union activists who attempt to defend the rights of workers or exercise their true role. It clearly exposes the shortcomings of the Labor Union Law and the resulting non-democratic practices of the current union organization as 20 of the Federal Union's board members take a decision to freeze the activities of 11 unionists who were elected by 2,400 workers (the company's workers).

The Center for Trade Union and Workers' Services (CTUWS) announces its solidarity with the members of the Nasr Company for Steel Pipes and Accessories union committee members. CTUWS also calls for the immediate revocation of the decision to stop their union activities in respect of the will of the workers who voted for them. CTUWS appeals for your solidarity with these union members in defense of their right to exercise their union role, affirming that it is time to rectify the current defective situation and eliminate all restrictions on union activities.

Please express your objection to the Federal Union's decision and solidarity with the Union Committee of the Nasr Company for Steel Pipes to the General Union for Engineering and Metallurgical Industries Union at fax number (202) 5782931, the Labor Union at fax number (202) 5753427 and the Ministry of Labor Force at fax number (202) 4042910