The strikes won't be stopping: el-Hamalawy discusses the role of workers in bringing down Mubarak

[Hannah Bell]

SINCE FEBRUARY 11, and actually earlier, middle-class activists have been urging Egyptians to suspend the protests and return to work, in the name of patriotism, singing some of the most ridiculous lullabies about "building a new Egypt," "Let's work harder than even before," etc. In case you didn't know, Egyptians are actually among the hardest-working people around the globe already.

Those activists want us to trust Hosni Mubarak's generals with the transition to democracy--the same junta that has provided the backbone of his dictatorship over the past 30 years.

And while I believe the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces--which receives $1.3 billion annually from the U.S.--will eventually engineer the transition to a "civilian" government, I have no doubt it will be a government that will guarantee the continuation of a system that will never touch the army's privileges, keep the armed forces as the institution that will have the final say in politics (like, for example, Turkey), and guarantee Egypt will continue to follow U.S. foreign policy, whether it's the undesired peace with the apartheid state of Israel, safe passage for the U.S. Navy in the Suez Canal, the continuation of the Gaza siege and exports of natural gas to Israel at subsidized rates...

Some have been surprised that the workers started striking. I really don't know what to say. This is completely idiotic. The workers have been staging the longest and most sustained strike wave in Egypt's history since 1946, triggered by the Mahalla strike in December 2006. It's not the workers' fault that you were not paying attention to their news. Every single day over the past three years, there was a strike in some factory, whether in Cairo or the provinces. These strikes were not just economic, they were also political in nature...

http://socialistworker.org/2011/02/14/strikes-wont-be-stopping

[leftstreet]

1. K&R

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ellenrr]

2. great article, thanks. More strike news...

"Egyptian bankers, police stage walkouts"

Egyptian bank employees and policemen have staged walkouts to demand pay rises and better working conditions after former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted.

The bank workers have also demanded corrupt managers to be removed from the banking system. They also want an official probe into former ruling National Democratic Party's alleged involvement in bribery.

Egyptian transition government, knowing about the strike, has announced Monday a holiday for the state banks.

Financial operations in Egypt were disrupted following the closure of nearly all banks as pro-democracy demonstrations were intensified.

Tarek Amer, chairman of state-owned National Bank of Egypt, resigned on Sunday after outraged staff blocked the way to his office.

Thousands of Egyptian police have reportedly held a demonstration outside the Interior Ministry in Cairo demanding better pay and healthcare benefits.


(presstv)

[maryf]

4. Solidarity

thanks!

[Starry Messenger]

5. k&r