Egypt: Army’s call to crush terrorism divides revolutionaries

Egyptian Army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi’s call for massive protests against terrorism on 26 July has won wide support with many independent unions endorsing the demonstrations. The April 6 Youth Movement and the Revolutionary Socialists, along with activists in the Constitution Party’s student groups have rejected al-Sisi’s appeal. The demonstrations come after two weeks of tension…

Egypt: “We need to stop government interference in trade union work” – interview with Mohamed Ahmed Salem

Mohamed Ahmed Salem – President of the Regional Federation of Independent Unions in Gharbiyya province, which is part of the Egyptian Democratic Labour Congress. From the Union of Workers in Gharbiyya Province local adminstration. “We took part in collecting signatures for the Rebel campaign in Gharbiyya and our petitions were handed in with others collected…

Publication: “Still fighting for social justice”

Still fighting for social justice… How workers in the Middle East are resisting neo-liberalism, austerity and privatisation By Jonathan Maunder and Anne Alexander In 2011, when revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt toppled dictators, British government ministers rushed to congratulate the Tunisian and Egyptian people on their democratic achievements. Two years later, they are forcing an…

Egypt: “After tasting freedom, we will not be slaves again” – a trade unionist’s view on Morsi’s fall

Muhammad Hardan, deputy president of the Independent Union of Workers in the Cairo Water Company, spoke to MENA Solidarity on Facebook after the overthrow of Morsi, explaining why he and other trade unionists had joined the revolt against the Muslim Brotherhood. “We didn’t even have to issue a call from the union for participation in…