Mubaraks Gewerkschaftschef attackiert BasisgewerkschafterInnen

Die Streiks in immer mehr Bereichen haben wohl das Nervenkostüm angekratzt - erst recht die damit immer öfter verbundene Abwahl betrieblicher Gewerkschaftskomitees, die doch offiziell erst jüngst gewählt worden sein sollen. Jetzt hat der ETUF Vorsitzende über das Fernsehen eine heftige Attacke gegen das CTUWS geritten: Auslandsfinanziert, die Nation schädigend und das übliche Arsenal mit dem Polizeiaktionen vorbereitet werden. Dagegen wurde auf einer Pressekonferenz von 15 Organisationen der Zivilgesellschaft protestiert. Die (englische) "Declaration of the Non Governmental Organizations Participating in the Conference" vom 7. Februar 2007.

Declaration of the Non Governmental Organizations Participating in the Conference

On a TV Programme entitled “Ten O’clock” broadcasted on Dream 2 satellite channel last Sunday 4/2/2007, Mr. Hussein Megawir President of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) directed serious accusations and defamations to the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS).

ETUF’s President used in his speech the old jargon which has become outdated and obsolete both globally and at the Egyptian level. He accused CTUWS of sabotage and action against the interests of the country in order to obtain foreign finance. This was just a part of the repeated list of accusations which has become boring for everyone.

ETUF’s president refused to enter into on-line dialogue with the General Coordinator of CTUWS while the Programme was disseminated live on air. He even denied the right of CTUWS to express its opinion in labour affairs considering ETUF as the sole authority which no one else can debate. He stated emphatically that who wants a dialogue with him has to go to his office.

As the accusations of ETUF’s president in that speech are not his concern alone, nor do they represent aggression against the CTUWS alone but against all the civic society organizations and the ethics of democratic dialogue, we would clarify the following facts:

- We refuse completely accusing any civic society organization by this method of sabotage and working against the interest of the country in order to obtain finance … and we refuse that someone puts himself as custodian of the stocks of patriotism to issue them to whoever he likes and deprives whoever he dislikes.

- ETUF, as we all know, has obtained and is still obtaining finance from several international organizations. Nevertheless, nobody accused it of being subject to finance conditions or as lacking patriotism.

- ETUF’s president has mentioned in his attack against the CTUWS incorrect issues depending on the fact that he was the sole speaker and that no one could intervene at that time. For example, concerning Mr. Kamal Abbas CTUWS’ General Coordinator, he said that he was “fired from the Iron and Steel Company” and detached from the trade union organization. The fact is that Mr. Kamal Abbas was transferred from the Egyptian Iron and Steel Company after its famous workers’ strike in 1989 because he took part in that strike. Needless to say that such a decision defames those who took the decision but does not defame the person against who the decision was taken.

- The international conventions of human rights include the right to strike as one of the core human and trade union rights. Accordingly, defending the workers’ right to strike and to practice all sorts of pressure and negotiations in order to realize their demands cannot be considered as sabotage or trouble making. It is an inevitable obligation of human rights organizations and activists.

- Securing the right of expression for all the societal categories and enabling them to defend their interests and call for their rights are necessary and indispensable for any democratic society aspiring for economic stability and growth. Stability can never be realized by disregarding these rights or by depriving some parties or categories their right to express their interests. Stability can be realized through societal negotiations on these rights and interests.

- We refuse the return to the old fashioned method of seeking a schemer or a plotter behind any popular movement in order to make him bear the whole responsibility instead of exploring the real problems and to find the proper solutions for them.

- The adoption of such methods by the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) in accusing some civic society organizations and raising the state authorities and organs against them is inopportune and inconvenient from an organization which is supposed to be a part of the civic society. In this manner the ETUF is dislocating itself from the civic society and is putting itself outside its sphere.

Signatories

1. Association for Health and Environmental Development
2. Egyptian Association for Promotion of Community Participation.
3. Egyptian Association against Torture.
4. The Arab Network for Human Rights Information.
5. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
6. The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary.
7. The Egyptian Social Democratic Center
8. The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights
9. The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
10. The Labour Secretariat of Al Tagammu Party.
11. The Legal Assistance for Human Rights Association.
12. Shihab Association for Integrated Development.
13. Land Center for Human Rights
14. Cairo Center for Human Rights Studies.
15. The New Woman Establishment.
16. Nadim Center.
17. Center for Alternative Development Studies.
18. Hisham Mubarak Law Center.