The Egyptian Commission Releases Its Report “Workers 2023: Either Dismissal or Imprisonment” on Violations Against Workers and the Seizure of Their Rights: A Continuing Series of Repression
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms has released its report titled “Workers 2023: Either Dismissal or Imprisonment,” which monitors the conditions of workers over the past year. The Commission considers this report, even though it covers several months past, to still be relevant as the situation persists up to the report’s release, whether it be in terms of the harsh treatment and repression of workers or their imprisonment due to their legitimate demands.
The report discusses the political context that has led to increased repression and targeting of workers, with the deteriorating economic conditions being the primary cause of many protests. It also addresses the legitimate right of workers to engage in various forms of protest and tracks the number, geographical distribution, and types of protests.
Furthermore, the report highlights the arrest of trade union leaders due to their labor activism and defense of workers’ rights in general, the targeting of labor gatherings, and the persecution of these leaders. It also covers the obstruction of registering independent unions, which exacerbates the repression of labor organizing.
The report relies on monitoring protests reported by Egyptian newspapers and websites during 2023, as well as social media pages of social movements after verifying them. It also includes information from confidential union sources who requested anonymity out of fear of persecution.
Regarding the methodology for gathering and verifying information, the report was compiled through a comprehensive review of newspapers, news websites, and journalistic platforms, including blocked sites. It also involved following platforms of credible human rights organizations, union platforms, labor groups, and the pages of trade unionists, labor activists, and lawyers.
The report concludes with several recommendations, including the annual establishment of a minimum wage by a binding law for all parties, providing support for informal workers for six months, and the necessity for the state to adopt a series of measures to secure resources for implementing these steps. These measures include halting expenditure on major projects that are not priorities and do not generate income, increasing progressive tax revenues, and restructuring or canceling debts.
The report also recommends respecting workers’ right to freely form their trade unions, removing all legal and administrative barriers that impede the full exercise of this right, and the immediate release of detainees and prisoners of conscience, especially labor leaders.
