EGYPT:

MAHALLA STRIKERS SCORE VICTORY:

DIRECT ACTION WINS VICTORY IN EGYPTIAN STRIKE:

Early last Saturday Egyptian government officials and their hand-picked "union" representatives largely agreed to demands put forward by the more than 27,000 workers at the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company in Mahalla al-Kubra. These strikers had gone on a wildcat strike over the fact that they had been shortchanged on bonuses due them under a profit sharing agreement. They had been paid for only 20 days instead of the agreed upon 150 days. During the strike the workers occupied the factory premises and this occupation was one of their strongest bargaining points. Management and the government also hastened to settle because of the memory of how a strike at this facility sparked a widespread strike wave last year amongst other low paid workers in Egypt. During the strike the workers called for the dismissal of the chairman of the enterprise board Mahmoud al-Gebaly, along with his corrupt assistants. This demand has been granted along with most of the other demands such as amnesty for strikers, granting that strike days will be considered paid holidays and most of the unpaid bonus due. Demands for the dismissal of the official, government controlled, "union" were not met, but the bosses have agreed to meet with authentic worker representatives elected by the strikers to continue negotiations.

See THIS ARTICLE from the Lib-Com site for full details of the settlement, as well as other articles on that site for news of the strike as it took place. The victory was solely due to the workers' willingness to abandon the corrupt official unions and to struggle by direct action tactics such as workplace occupation. A victory won and a lesson for all.