Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Human Rights organizations and workers and social movements express solidarity with trade union activist Kamal Abu Aita and the real estate tax collectors trade union

The undersigned human rights organizations and workers and social movements express their solidarity with workers of the real estate tax company concerning their right to enjoy all trade union freedoms, especially after they founded the first independent trade union in Egypt since 1957.

Facebook Digg Yahoo Del.icio.us reddit StumbleUpon Mixx Google

The undersigned human rights organizations and workers and social movements express their solidarity with workers of the real estate tax company concerning their right to enjoy all trade union freedoms, especially after they founded the first independent trade union in Egypt since 1957.

In that regard these organizations and movements express their solidarity with all members of the general union for real estate tax collectors, foremost trade union activist Kamal Abu Eita, chairperson of the trade union, regarding the complaint filed against him to the public prosecutor by Farouq Shehata, chairman of the general trade union for banking, insurance and financial transactions employees. Abu Eita has been questioned by the Omraneyya prosecution on Tuesday the 8th of September 2009 ad accused of falsely claiming the person of the chair of the real estate trade union in violation of trade union law no. 35/1976.

The Egyptian Trade Union Federation supports those allegations, as well as tries to claim the benefit of the social service fund, set up by the independent trade union, for the official banking union. The independent union had submitted the proposal for the social service fund and entered into long negotiations with the ministry until its was finally approved including the independent union among its beneficiaries. Pressures by unknown parties and individuals led the minister of finance to change his decision and replace the independent union with the banking union.

It is well known that about 27 thousand employees had established the new union and have chosen Kamal Abu Aita as its chairperson. Foundation papers have been submitted to the ministry of labor force on the 21st of April 2009 in the presence of the minister herself.

Article 64 of the trade union law no. 35/1976 permits the ministry of labor, in case it perceives any violation in the process of registration, to object to the registration within 30 days after the papers have been submitted to the ministry. Otherwise it has no right to object. Also, article 4 of the trade union law stipulates that the legal person of a trade union organization is established starting the day of its submission of its foundation papers.

Therefore, the undersigned organizations and movements, demand that the ministry of labor force clearly acknowledge the legitimacy of the real estate collectors trade union and consider that this deliberate silence regarding the recent developments constitutes an unnecessary drain for the independent trade union, pushing it to direct all its energy towards the defense of its legitimacy rather than undertake its responsibilities and roles.

The right to establish trade unions and unions has been granted by international labor conventions, especially the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention no. 87, signed by Egypt on the 6th of November 1957. Article (2) of that convention states that "Workers and employers, without distinction whatsoever, shall have the right to establish and, subject only to the rules of the organization concerned, to join organizations of their own choosing without previous authorization", which confirms the right of workers to establish their free unions without direct or indirect state interference as well as the right to join or withdraw from them, in addition to the freedom to develop their regulations and internal bylaws, freedom of trade union meetings, to acquire representative status upon mere registration, freedom of opinion and representation of the view of the trade union, as well as freedom of formation of sectoral or national unions and to join international ones.

The harassment of the real estate tax collectors trade union and its chairperson, Kamal Abu Aita, is not only a violation of their rights, but targets the deprivation of workers from their right to establish their own trade unions, as well as attempts to obliterate any attempt to build independent organizations that seek to defend the rights and interests of workers, and abort all new initiatives, which have expressed interest in establishing their independent organizations such as the Mahalla weaving workers, ministry of education employees, public transport workers, workers in Cairo bakeries, all of which seek to challenge the total submission to the official workers federation which is subject to tight and complete governmental control.

It is therefore, that the undersigned human rights organizations and workers and social movements while they condemn the deliberate silence of the ministry of labor force regarding the ongoing harassment of the independent trade union, they also condemn the complaint against activist Kamal Abu Aita since he was only freely exercising his and his colleagues constitutional and legal rights of establishing an independent union for real estate tax collectors. The undersigned call upon the public prosecutor to dismiss the complaint against Abu Aita, and express their support to the right of all citizens to freedom of organization, including all rights enshrined therein, foremost the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Signatories (in order of endorsement)
1.Egyptian center for economic and social rights
2.Arab foundation for the support of civil society and human rights
3.Arab council for the support of fair trial
4.Human rights foundation for training and sustainable development (insaf)
5.Nadim center for rehabilitation of victims of violence
6.Egyptian association against torture
7.Hisham Mubarak law center
8.El Helali foundation for liberties
9.Workers preparatory committee
10.Workers for change
11.Coordinating committee for trade union and workers rights and liberties
12.Egyptian association for promotion of community participation
13.Sons of the land foundation for human rights
14.Public expenditure and human rights monitor
15.Arab program for human rights defenders
16.Committee for the defense of the right to health
17.Cairo institute for human rights studies
18.Engineers for a free union
19.Civil democratic forum (Suez)
20.Association for freedom of thought and expression
21.The Arabic network for human rights information.
22.El Helali league for freedoms at the Bar association
23.Workers at Cairo bakeries
24.Shebin weaving workers (Indrama)
25.Andalus center for tolerance studies
26.Mahalla weaving workers
27.Tanta linen workers
28.Committee for the defense of pensions and insurance rights
29.Land center for human rights
30.Committee of liberties, press syndicate
31.Committee for the defense of prisoners of conscience and liberties
32.Center of the rights of the Egyptian child
33.Committee of liberties, lawyers' syndicate
34.New woman foundation
35.Suez workers in fertilizer company
36.Egyptian organization for human rights
37.Egyptian workers watch
38.Arab organization for criminological reform
39.Human rights center for assistance of prisoners
40.Egyptian union of young human rights organizations,
41.Hemaya center for the support of human rights defenders
42.Group of human rights legal aid
43.Coalition of Suez workers.
44.Egyptian center for women's rights
45.Enlightenment for development and human rights center
46.Arab center for the independence of the judiciary and legal profession
47.Association for human rights legal aid
48.Workers at Misr-Iran weaving and spinning company
49.League of aviation monitors