EGYPTIAN QIZ EXPORTS CONTINUE TO RISE, LABOR

UNCLAS CAIRO 007219 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA FOR ELA USTR FOR SAUMS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD ECON ELAB EG SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN QIZ EXPORTS CONTINUE TO RISE, LABOR MARKET TIGHTENS REF: A. CAIRO 6894 ¶B. AMMAN 8341 ¶C. 2005 CAIRO 1013 ¶D. CAIRO 6347 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: TWO YEARS AFTER THE SIGNING OF THE QUALIFIED INDUSTRIAL ZONE (QIZ) AGREEMENT BY EGYPT, ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES, EGYPTIAN QIZ EXPORTS ARE CONTINUING TO RISE SHARPLY. FACTORY OWNERS ARE SCRAMBLING TO FIND ENOUGH WORKERS TO STAFF THEIR NEW PRODUCTION LINES, EVEN AS THEY MOVE AHEAD WITH PLANS FOR FURTHER EXPANSION AND WORK WITH BUYERS TO AVOID THE KINDS OF LABOR PROBLEMS HINDERING JORDANIAN QIZ PRODUCTION. EGYPTIAN QIZ OFFICIALS FACE OTHER PROBLEMS, INCLUDING CONTINUED MURMURS OF RESISTANCE TO TRADE WITH ISRAEL AND THEIR FAILURE TO NEGOTIATE A LOWER ISRAELI CONTENT REQUIREMENT, BUT EVEN SO THE AGREEMENT IS ENTERING ITS THIRD YEAR ON SOLID FOOTING. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) EGYPTIAN QIZ FACTORIES EXPORTED $178 MILLION IN GOODS TO THE UNITED STATES IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2006, A 51-PERCENT INCREASE OVER THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2005. THE NUMBER OF EXPORTING COMPANIES ROSE TO 139, EMPLOYING WELL OVER 100,000 EGYPTIANS. DURING THE LAST FOUR QUARTERS, EGYPTIAN QIZ EXPORTS TOTALED $571 MILLION, OR 22 PERCENT OF EGYPT'S $2.6 BILLION IN EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES DURING THAT PERIOD. (NATURAL GAS CONTINUES TO BE EGYPT'S LEADING EXPORT, REF A). NEARLY ALL OF THE QIZ EXPORTS WERE IN TEXTILES, PREDOMINANTLY PANTS USING ISRAELI CHEMICALS, ZIPPERS, PACKAGING MATERIALS, AND OTHER INPUTS. UNDER THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT, EGYPTIAN EXPORTS FROM QUALIFIED FACTORIES MUST INCLUDE 11.7-PERCENT ISRAELI CONTENT TO BE EXEMPT FROM U.S. CUSTOMS DUTIES. -------------- COMPETITION FOR WORKERS -------------- ¶3. (SBU) QIZ FACTORY OWNERS REPORT THAT THEY HAVE TO COMPETE FIERCELY FOR WORKERS, OFFERING HIGHER PAY, FREE LUNCHES, FREE TRANSPORTATION, TRAINING AND OTHER INCENTIVES, OFTEN LURING WORKERS AWAY FROM THEIR COMPETITORS. EGYPTIAN QIZ LABOR COSTS RUN ABOUT $100 USD PER MONTH PER WORKER, WHICH IS COMPETITIVE INTERNATIONALLY, ALTHOUGH FACTORY OWNERS WORRY THAT IF LABOR COSTS CONTINUE TO RISE, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES WITH DRAMATICALLY LOWER LABOR COSTS COULD UNDERCUT THEM ON PRICE AND NEGATE THE BENEFITS OF THE QIZ. ¶4. (SBU) LOW WORKER PRODUCTIVITY, FUELED IN PART BY HIGH TURNOVER AND ABSENTEEISM, IS ALSO A PROBLEM, SAID MAN MOHAN, OWNER OF VELOCITY APPARELZ IN ISMAILIA. MOHAN APPLIED TO THE MINISTRY OF LABOR FOR WORK PERMITS FOR 350 SRI LANKANS, WHO ARE ON AVERAGE TWICE AS PRODUCTIVE AS EGYPTIAN WORKERS, HE SAID. THE MINISTRY DENIED THE PERMITS IN KEEPING WITH GOE STRATEGY TO GENERATE EMPLOYMENT FOR EGYPTIANS. ¶5. (SBU) U.S. IMPORTERS ARE WORRIED THAT PRESSURE ON THE EGYPTIAN LABOR MARKET COULD RESULT IN AN INCREASE IN FOREIGN WORKERS, A PHENOMENON THAT RESULTED IN POOR LABOR PRACTICES IN JORDAN (REF B),SAID KESAVA MURALI, A COMPLIANCE OFFICER FOR THE BUYER JONES INTERNATIONAL. JONES AND LEVI STRAUSS HOSTED A MEETING OF FACTORY REPRESENTATIVES IN CAIRO ON DEC. 19 TO DISCUSS FAIR LABOR PRACTICES AND DEVISE STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING ANY FUTURE LABOR VIOLATIONS. (NOTE: POST PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETING AS AN OBSERVER AND WILL CONTINUE TO EXPLORE WAYS TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT. END NOTE.) -------------- AND AN EXPANSION BOOM -------------- ¶6. (SBU) JAMAL SALAM, OWNER OF SUNSHINE READY-MADE GARMENTS, LED ECONOFFS ON A TOUR OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF HIS NEXT PLANNED EXPANSION IN ISMAILIA, EXPECTED TO OPEN NEXT YEAR. THE 16,000 SQUARE-FOOT FACILITY WILL SIT ADJACENT TO HIS MOST-RECENT EXPANSION, A 26,000 SQUARE-FOOT FACILITY THAT OPENED THIS YEAR. HE RECEIVED GOE APPROVAL FOR THE EXPANSION IN MARCH, BROKE GROUND IN APRIL, AND WAS EXPORTING BY NOVEMBER, PICKING UP ORDERS FOR LEVIS FROM IDLE JORDANIAN FACTORIES. (NOTE: WHILE NEW QIZ FACTORIES REQUIRE USTR APPROVAL, ALI AWNI, HEAD OF THE MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY'S QIZ UNIT, SAID THAT ALL EXPANSION TO DATE HAS BEEN OF EXISTING FACTORIES, ARGUING THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE USG APPROVAL. POST INTENDS TO FOLLOW UP ON THIS ISSUE IN COOPERATION WITH USTR TO ENSURE THAT QIZ EXPANSION IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AGREEMENT. END NOTE.) ¶7. (SBU) SALAM RECENTLY RETURNED FROM A TRIP TO TURKEY, WHERE HE WAS NEGOTIATING A PARTNERSHIP WITH TURKISH TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS ANXIOUS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE QIZ AGREEMENT AND EGYPT'S LOW OVERHEAD TO PROVIDE UPSTREAM SERVICES TO EXISTING QIZ EXPORTERS. NATURAL GAS IN EGYPT COSTS A QUARTER OF THE RATE IN TURKEY, AND WATER IS NEARLY HALF AS CHEAP, HE SAID. LABOR COSTS IN EGYPT ARE ALSO A FRACTION OF THE COST IN TURKEY. SEPARATELY, THREE TURKISH FACTORY REPRESENTATIVES DISCUSSED PLANS FOR INVESTMENTS OF 300 MILLION EGYPTIAN POUNDS (USD 52 MILLION) WITH MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY RACHID RACHID EARLIER IN DECEMBER, ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS. ¶8. (SBU) ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE RAPID QIZ EXPANSION IS LOTUS GARMENTS, A PORT SAID FACTORY PRODUCING JEANS FOR LEVIS AND CALVIN KLIEN, WHICH HAS DOUBLED ITS CAPACITY FROM 18 TO 36 PRODUCTION LINES SINCE THE START OF THE QIZ AGREEMENT. EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES ARE RISING FROM $18 MILLION IN 2004 TO $38 MILLION IN 2006 TO A PROJECTED $50 MILLION IN 2007, SAID FACTORY OWNER HOSSAM GABR. -------------- ISRAELI-EGYPTIAN MEETING AMICABLE -------------- ¶9. (SBU) IN THE QUARTERLY MEETING BETWEEN EGYPTIAN AND ISRAELI QIZ OFFICIALS DEC. 11 IN CAIRO, THE TWO SIDES AMICABLY RESOLVED TECHNICAL QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTIFICATION OF QIZ FACTORIES AND ISRAELI SUPPLIERS. HOWEVER, THEY MADE NO HEADWAY ON THE EGYPTIAN PROPOSAL TO LOWER THE ISRAELI CONTENT REQUIREMENT TO 8 PERCENT TO BRING IT IN LINE WITH THE JORDANIAN QIZ AGREEMENT. EGYPTIAN QIZ FACTORY OWNERS IN ISMAILIA AND PORT SAID RAISED THIS ISSUE REPEATEDLY WITH ECONOFF DURING FACTORY VISITS, COMPLAINING THAT THE ISRAELIS DO NOT OFFER ENOUGH REASONABLY PRICED INPUTS TO MEET THE REQUIREMENT. BUT GABBY BAR, HEAD OF THE ISRAELI DELEGATION, SAID ON THE SIDELINES OF THE MEETING THAT THE ISRAELIS WERE NOT CONVINCED, NOTING THAT EGYPTIAN PRODUCERS WOULD NOT BE EXPANDING THEIR OPERATIONS IF THE CURRENT RULES WERE NOT LUCRATIVE. -------------- SLIGHT, BUT STEADY, DOMESTIC OPPOSITION -------------- ¶10. (SBU) THE ONLY PUBLIC PROTESTS AGAINST THE QIZ WERE STAGED BY WORKERS AND FACTORY OWNERS AT THE INCEPTION OF THE AGREEMENT CONCERNED THAT THEY WOULD BE LEFT OUT OF IT (REF C). OPPOSITION POLITICIANS AND MEDIA ANALYSTS HAVE SNIPED AT THE AGREEMENT PERIODICALLY SINCE THEN, HOWEVER. ISRAEL AND EGYPT ADOPTED A LOW PROFILE IN SUMMER 2006 DURING THE VIOLENCE IN GAZA, ISRAEL AND LEBANON, POSTPONING A QUARTERLY TECHNICAL MEETING (REF D). AT THE TIME, AWNI REMOVED THE QIZ UNITS SIGN FROM THE ENTRANCE TO THE MINISTRY OF TRADE IN ORDER TO AVOID A PROVOCATION, BUT THE SIGN IS NOW BACK UP AND THE ATMOSPHERE IS CALMER, HE SAID. ¶11. (SBU) EVEN SO, CRITICISM CONTINUES TO SURFACE. EARLIER THIS MONTH, AL-AZHAR BANNED PUBLICATION OF A BOOK "QIZ FROM A LEGAL (RELIGIOUS) AND ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE," WHICH ARGUED THAT THE QIZ AGREEMENT IS ILLEGITIMATE UNDER ISLAMIC LAW BECAUSE THE AGREEMENT INVOLVES DEALINGS WITH JEWS. AZHAR CONTACTS WOULD NOT COMMENT ON THE REASON FOR THE BAN, ALTHOUGH AZHAR GENERALLY JUSTIFIES SUCH DECISIONS ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE WORK PROMOTES FAULTY VIEWS OF ISLAM. ON DEC. 20, A FRONT-PAGE ARTICLE IN THE INDEPENDENT DAILY NEWSPAPER EGYPT TODAY DETAILED A PARLIAMENTARY GRILLING OF MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY RACHID RACHID OVER A RISE IN ISRAELI EXPORTS TO EGYPT. RACHID EXPLAINED THE INCREASE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE QIZ AGREEMENT, NOTING THAT EGYPT RE-EXPORTS THE PRODUCTS PRODUCED WITH ISRAELI INPUTS. ¶12. (SBU) COMMENT: IN ITS FIRST TWO YEARS, THE QIZ AGREEMENT HAS CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO USG EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE REGION, CREATING NEW JOBS, STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC TIES BETWEEN ISRAEL AND EGYPT DURING PERIODS OF POLITICAL TURMOIL, AND DEMONSTRATING THE TANGIBLE BENEFITS OF A STRONG PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES. AMERICAN CONSUMERS ALSO BENEFITED FROM THE LOWER-COST APPAREL PRODUCED BY THE QIZ FACTORIES. WHILE IT IS DIFFICULT FOR US TO JUDGE THE COST OF THE QIZ IN TERMS OF TRADE-DIVERSIONARY EFFECTS, WE BELIEVE THAT EGYPT'S INCREASE IN EXPORTS HAS COME AT THE EXPENSE OF EXPORTS FROM ELSEWHERE, MOST LIKELY FROM JORDAN BECAUSE OF ITS LABOR TROUBLES. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE GOE, FACTORIES, INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES, AND OUR COLLEAGUES IN THE REGION TO ENSURE THE CONTINUED SUCCESS OF THIS INITIATIVE. JONES