Tanta Linen Co. Workers’ Strike is Still Going On

For the second week, the workers of Tanta Linen Co. have been striking to attain their demands. Moreover, on Monday June 8, 2009, more than 100 of the company workers demonstrated in front of the Parliament headquarters while a Parliamentarian was notifying their own problem with the company. In the few last days, the workers threatened to go on hunger strike unless the management fulfills their demand. However the Saudi investor, Abdallah Saleh al-Ka'ki, is still ignoring the workers’ demands until now.

On 31 May 2009, about 1000 workers of Tanta Linen Co went on an open- ended strike, leaded for the first time in Egypt by an official trade union, the Textile Trade Union (TTU).The workers’ demands are to get paid bonuses on the basis of 2008 wage rate instead of 2003, plus the accumulated commissions that unpaid since selling the company to the Saudi investor, plus increasing the meal compensation from 32 L.E to 90 L.E like all other textile companies, plus a 7% regular subsidy, plus recapturing the headquarters of the union in the company after it has been taken over by the management, and rehiring their fellow workers who got fired for leading a strike in July 2008.

The nine fired workers are: Gamal Othman, Akad Tantawi, Ashref El Herati, Ali Abu Lilah, Ahmed El Shenawy, Ramadan El Bagwry, Mustafa El Sawy, plus two union representatives, Hesham El Okl and Rafeet Ramadan.

Tanta Linen Co. Workers’ problems have got much worse since the Government sold the company to the Saudi investor Abdallah Saleh al-Ka'ki. Throughout its Privatization program, The Government sold the company for L.E 83 million paid in three years installments, though the actual value of the company is L.E 500 million!!

Center for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS) asks Egyptian state bodies to act rapidly toward the obduracy of the Saudi investor who doesn’t respect Egyptian laws or Egyptian officials like Man Power Minister and parliamentarians who try to solve the problem. CTUWS sees that there are other ways to put stress on the employer: firstly sending a statement to the public prosecutor to confiscate the company and pay the workers’ late payments, Secondly looking seriously to seize the company and cancel the contract with the Saudi investor who doesn’t respect the workers’ rights. CTUWS emphasizes the full solidarity with Tanta Linen Co. Workers’ just demands and calls upon Egyptian democratic forces, unions and trade union centers to support their strike.