Report: Several violations monitored against the independent unions in Egypt

EGYPT— The Center for Trade Union & Workers Service issued its annual report on the status of trade union freedoms and violations committed in 2015.

According to the report, last year, the State has interfered with the workers institutions, including the General Workers, where the President and the government issued directions to activate the Union’s role in countering the independent Unions.

In its report, the center said that last year practices included violations to the Egyptian Constitution, when one of the country’s courts issued a verdict against a number of protesting workers in Ashmon Center. The verdict included 17 workers. The promotion of 13 was postponed and three were referred to retirement.

The court also decided to prevent protest, referring to Sharia’a “Islamic Law”, noting that Sharia’a does not allow such a “behavior” as it harms citizens.

The report said, it was obvious that the “current” regime is trying to implement policies of Husni Mubarak, the ousted president.

It added that although the 2014 Constitution, in article 76, ensures the workers’ right in founding their union and it ensures the independency of trade unions, practices in 2015 were violating this statement.

Despite these hostile policies, the independent unions continued to practice their role in defending workers’ rights, especially the Civil Service Law number (18) for the year 2015, where more than 5,000 workers protested against the law.

The report also monitored abusive practices against workers’ leaders in many workplaces.

Due to solidarity with the independent unions, in a march that was called for on December 12, 2015, where the unions called for the participation of one million persons in rejection to new civil status law, number 18 for the year 2015 without social dialogue, threatening was escalated for members of the steering committee and participants in the march.

On that day, the security forces prevented the entrance of several employees of those who were planning to take part in the march to the park where the demonstration was planned to take place in.