Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

14th Fl. Kyunghyang-shinmunsa Bldg.,

22 Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-702, Korea

Tel.: +82-2-2670-9118 Fax: +82-2-2635-1134 E-mail: inter@kctu.org

July 1, 2013

Re: Solidarity Message for the struggling Workers in Egypt

We, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) extend our warm hearted solidarity to the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions (EFITU) and all the workers and people of Egypt who took the street for bread, freedom and social justice.

As an independent and democratic trade union confederation, which historically rooted in Gwangju People’s Democratization Movement in 1980, and People’s Uprising for Democracy and the following the Great Workers Struggle in 1987, KCTU has been standing shoulder by shoulder with workers and people of Egypt for their struggle against the dictatorship and the military since 2011.

During our participation in the International Labour Conference in June, 2013, we found that Egypt was listed once again for its violation of Freedom of Association. Without any enforcement of the law on trade union, democratic and independent unions are still denied and around 650 workers have been dismissed for their union activities. Protests are brutally attacked by the police and striking workers have been imprisoned. The Muslim Brotherhood’s promise for the trade union rights and decent minimum wage was becomes nullified.

Workers and people of Egypt are facing unemployment, low wage and employment insecurity in their daily life and even suffering from unstable supply of water and electricity. The main demands of the revolution- bread, freedom and social justice were the minimum demand that any government succeeding the revolution should have fulfilled. However, the current Egyptian government had worsened the people’s livelihood by oppressing trade union activities, any social movement and adopting the same policies as Mubarak.

The Muslim Brotherhood refused to achieve the goal of the revolution in 2011. In this situation, the workers and people in Egypt who had once voted for the Muslim Brotherhood withdrew their support and are joining the struggle against it in the street, workplace, and religious festival. On the occasion of the Mass Rally on June 30, KCTU once again extends its support and solidarity to the Egyptian workers and people.

The struggle of Egyptian people is our struggle.

Sincerely, Yang, Sung-yun

Chair, Emergency Committee Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)

Download the letter here