Egypt: ITUC demands the government to stop its actions against independent unions

Egypt – Egypt – The Egyptian Democratic Labour Union said it had received a solidarity speech from The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), representing 181 million workers in national trade union centers in 163 countries, after banning independent unions from celebrating Labour Day. The Union said in a statement that the ITUC condemned the Egyptian governments ban on Labour Day celebrations on the pretext of terrorism using repression which violate the freedom of the right to assemble, the statement said. The ITUC adopted the demands of the independent trade union movement and demanded the Egyptian government to stop its administrative measures taken to impose illegality on the independent trade union movement, according to the Democratic Union. The letter also called for the issuance of a trade union law in line with ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98, ensuring comprehensive and effective guarantees of non-discrimination between trade unionists and union members. This is what the Egyptian government has repeatedly pledged to the ILO Freedoms Committee.