Aura - Asbestarbeiter besetzten drei tage lang die Gewerkschaftszentrale

Anfang Juli besetzten die Arbeiter der Aura - Asbestfabrik, die teilweise seit September 2004 keinen Lohn mehr bekommen, drei Tage lang das regionale Gewerkschaftsbüro - so lange, bis die Gewerkschaft bereit war, ihr Anliegen zu unterstützen. Eine ausführliche (englische, mit kurzer deutscher Zusammenfassung) Darstellung der aktuellen Ereignisse, samt Dokumentation des Brief der Gewerkschaft an die regierung und des betrieblichen Gewerkschaftskomitees an die Öffentlichkeit. "SUPPORT THE URAMISR WORKERS" vom 5. Juli 2005

Support now the Uramisr workers

Dear Friends,

32 of the 52 workers of Uramisr (Egyptian Ciment-Asbestos pipes Factory) who are deprived from wages since September 2004 and fired since December 2004 have occupied the headquarter of the Egyptian Confederation of Trade Unions on Saturday July 2nd up to Monday July 4th.

They ask the Egyptian Government for a global solution to the deprivation of wages and job of 79 Uramisr workers, as a result of the closure of their factory by the Government in September 2004 and the Egyptian Asbestos ban in December 2004, and an immediate payment of substitutes to the wage for the 52 workers whose aid from the Emergency Fund has been cut since June 20th 2005.

You will find below the declaration (and its English translation) that Said Abdel Latif and the Trade Union committee of Ura misr ask to be sent to the trade unions, representatives, medias, to ask the Egyptian Government :

1. to start the negotiation with the owner and the ministries about the wages cut, dismissal compensations, occupational disease recognition and pensions, and alternative jobs

2. to extend the emergency fund aid to 6 other months or until the recovery of of unpaid wages and dismissal compensations.

The result of the three days occupation of the headquarters of the Egyptian Confederation of Workers Trade Unions (with three workers starting a hunger strike and a strong local solidarity campaign) was:

1. a letter from the General Trade Union of Engineering, Mecanical and Electrical Industries, adressed to the Prime minister, asking for the continuation of the disbursment of substitutes to the wages.

2. a meeting with State security officiers who ended with the following decisions:

- the workers would leave the headquarters of the Confederation and go back occupying the factory ; in counterpart, the State Security takes responsibility for organising a meeting between the workers and the owner, to reach a deal: the owners pays the wages and the workers dues, and the workers leave him taking the asbestos-ciment pipes out of the factory (to be sold and pay the wages).

- the representatives of the workers will meet with the State Security Officials at the headquarter of the State security on Wensday evening

- the State Security send a note to the Prime minister with the same claims of the General Trade Union of Engineering, Mecanical and Electrical Industries, asking for the continuation of the disbursment of substitutes to the wages.

- the Prime minister council will have a meeting on Tuesday July 5th, discussing the solution of the Uramisr workers problem.

The representatives of the Uramisr workers have accepted the deal and The representives of Uramisr workers ask you to send faxes and emails to the Prime minister and the ministries and institutions involved in the solution of their problem:

- Prime minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif, fax:(00.202.260.98.91 - 00.202.735.6449 / 00.202.795.8016) . Email: primemin@idsc.gov.eg

to support the request of compensating the wages and organise a meeting with the workers and the owner and the concerned ministries to solve all the problems of the workers resulting from the ban of the asbestos industry.

- Confederation of Egyptian Workers Trade Unions, President, Sayed Rashed
Fax (00.20-2.575.34.27) and (00.20-2)574.63.74 ;

Thanks for your support Françoise Clément

Translation of the Declaration of Uramisr workers sitting-in inside the headquarters of the Confederation of Trade Union of Workers of Egypt

To what extend will continue the despotism of Ahmed Lukma and the Indifference of the Government?

Thanks to the struggle of 52 workers from the employees of the Egyptian Spanish Company for the Asbestos Products "Uramisr" in the 10th of Ramadan, the Government has banned the importation of asbestos, a material that causes cancer, and which is very dangerous for the public health, for the workers and for the environment. But the decree that banned asbestos in Egypt came without taking into consideration the rights of the employees in the enterprises that were transforming the asbestos. The consequences of this neglecting were:

1. Ahmed Lukma, the owner and employer, has cut the wages of 52 workers (including the Trade Union Committee , ndlt) since September 2004 until now

2. Considering their need for their wages and because they have been claiming for their rights without result to this point, the workers have decided to occupy the factory starting from 20/11/2004 until now. During this period, no Responsible person from the Government has made any action to solve their problems.

3. The employer has fired 52 workers in the same day on 25/12/2004 without giving them any of their financial rights.

4. The employer has used all his influence and finances to break the occupation, including sending armed men, cutting the electricity and the telephon, closing the mosk, in cold winter as well in hot summer. As for the workers, during all these period, they were surviving a primitive life with candles and coke.

So, we, workers of Uramisr, claim our rights in ours compensations for the privation of our jobs in the factory and for our abusive dismissal, and payment of our Unpaid wages, and compensation from the injuries caused by the exposure to asbestos dusts. For this, we have decided to sit-in and occupy the head quarters of the Confederation of Trade Unions to ask for our rights starting from today, Saturday, July the 2nd, 2005, and until the satisfaction of our claims through:

1)- organising a common meeting gathering the Trade Union Committee representing the workers, and the employer, and representatives from the concerned ministries, to negociate these claims

2)- pay the substitute for the wages from the Emergency Fund for the next 6 months or until the problem is solved Uramisr Trade Union Committee.

Content of the letter from the General Trade Union for Engineering, Metal, and Electric Industries addressed to the Prime minister, Dr. Ahmed Nazif

"We ask you to take the necessary measures concerning the Uramisr workers, as the consequence of your decision to ban asbestos was the dismissal of the Uramisr workers in December 2004, after the cut of their wages in September 2004. After the workers failed to obtain their rights from the employer, they have occupied the factory from November 2004 up to now. As the employer still refuses to pay the wages, the workers have decided to occupy the headquarters of the Confederation on Saturday July 2nd 2005.

We submit the case to you to take the necessary measures concerning the disbursement of compensations to unpaid wages of the workers, as they have lost their means for living, after the extinction of the 6 months of the Emergency Fund.

We thank you for your cooperation"

General Trade Union for Engineering, Metal, and Electric Industries

...

Kurze deutsche Zusammenfassung

Es wird in dem Bericht deutlich, dass erst wieder Bewegung in die Sache der Belegschaft kam, als sie sich entschloss, das Gewerkschaftsbüro zu besetzen. Zuvor war die Gewerkschaft passiv geblieben und nur das betriebliche Komitee hatte die Aktivitäten organisiert. Neben der Aktivierung der Gewerkschaft erbrachte die Aktion durch eine Verhandlung mit den Sicherheitskräften auch die Übereinkunft, dass die Arbeiter bei einem Rückzug aus dem Gewerkschaftshaus die Fabrik wieder besetzen können und dass Röhren nur aus dem Firmengelände abtransportiert werden dürfen, um die ausstehenden Löhne zu bezahlen.

In dem brief an die Regierung unterstreichen die Arbeiter nochmals, dass sie für die Stillegung der Asbest-Produktion waren und dafür gekämpft haben,w eil sie darunter litten, dass aber die Regierung die Verpflichtung habe, Ersatzarbeitsplätze bzw wenigstens soziale Verorgung zu gewährleisten. Ähnlich argumentiert auch der Brief der Gewerkschaft. Unterstützungsfaxe an den Premierminister und den Gewerkschaftsvorsitzenden helfen weiter!

(hrw)