LABOR ANXIETY MAY OPEN DOOR TO UNION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000721 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ELA, DRL LABOR FOR ILAB NSC FOR WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/11/2017 TAGS: ELAB ECON PGOV PHUM EAID ETRD EG SUBJECT: LABOR ANXIETY MAY OPEN DOOR TO UNION DEMOCRATIZATION EFFORTS REF: A. CAIRO 356 ¶B. 06 CAIRO 7256 ¶C. 06 CAIRO 5336 ¶D. ROLAND-RUDE-ANZALDUA TELCONS/E-MAILS ¶E. 06 STATE 200668 Classified by DCM Stuart E. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). -------------- Summary and Comment -------------- ¶1. (C) The anxious state of organized labor in Egypt over privatization, economic reform, and global trends may present opportunities for engaging the GOE on democratization and worker rights. Sensing this, the International Labor Organization (ILO) is advancing a proposal to promote democratization and freedom of association within Egypt's ossified and anti-democratic trade union structures. In addition to enhancing worker rights and helping Egypt meet the labor chapter requirements of any future U.S.-Egypt Free Trade Agreement, reforming the labor union structures could serve as a gateway to enhancing broader political reform here. The ILO stamp on this project lends some limited multilateral credibility in Egyptian eyes, we would look forward to working closely with the ILO to ensure the most effective program design. ¶2. (C) Egypt's trade union structure is unable adequately to defend worker rights or prepare workers to succeed in an era of increased privatization and industrial modernization. The scale of February's wildcat strikes (ref A),particularly in light of last autumn's flawed labor elections (ref C), clearly indicate a system in need of reform. Certain opposition groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, have been keen to associate themselves with the aggrieved workers and could seek to exploit any ongoing unrest. GOE concessions to strikers' demands may point to a realization that the status quo of unions as merely a lever of party control is untenable. The ILO's proposal appears well-timed, and we recommend USG support of this approach. Success in this effort will require GOE cooperation, however, and thus a written statement of support from the Minister of Manpower should be a prerequisite to moving forward. End summary and comment. -------------- ILO-led Democratization Effort -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Even prior to the December 2006 strikes at Egypt's largest public-sector factory (ref B),a Geneva-based (and Egyptian-born) ILO official told econoff that he sensed a rare opportunity to begin chipping away at restrictions on freedom of association imposed by Egypt's unrepresentative union structure. Egypt's current trade union structure, in which there exists only one legal national trade union federation, ensures effective NDP control of the unions' local and national leadership. According to labor activist contacts, however, the proliferation of strikes in key sectors, combined with nascent efforts to set up parallel unions, highlights the gulf that exists between the workers and their government-approved union leadership, and exposes a vacuum that others, including the Islamists, are seeking to fill. Labor contacts told us the December '06 and February '07 strikes served as a "wake up call" to the GOE, as indicated by the recent ministerial-level engagement during strike negotiations and, as one commentator described, the "soft" response by security forces to the strikes. ¶4. (SBU) During our Cairo meeting, the ILO rep described for us his proposed union democratization project, and briefly outlined the draft proposal that he subsequently forwarded to the Washington interagency (ref d) for perusal and comment. The core objective of the project, according to the draft paper, is to "promote the appropriate legal environment and culture of consultation and dialogue based on the fundamental principles and rights at work embodied in the ILO Declaration of 1998, and in particular freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining." U.S. labor activists familiar with the Egyptian labor landscape, including Washington D.C.-based AFL-CIO Solidarity Center rep Heba El Shazli, have told Econoff they strongly support the idea of pushing for a program to enhance democratization of the unions. CAIRO 00000721 002 OF 002 -------------- Strikes, Turbulence Continue -------------- ¶5. (SBU) According to labor rights activist reports, two of the leaders of the December strikes in Ghazl El Mehalla (ref b) claim that over 6,000 workers at the plant, Egypt's largest public sector factory, have resigned from the state-controlled Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) due to ETUF's refusal of worker demands to impeach the local factory council committee. Workers claim they collected 13,000 signatures demanding the NDP-dominated committee's removal and threatening to form an independent union should they remain. Workers are resigning from the textile union at a rate of over 50 per day according to the strike leaders. Press reports, verified by labor NGO's here, indicate disgruntled workers in the El Mehalla area are making good on their threat to form bodies independent of the national unions by seeking to establish a new NGO called "Private Sector Laborers Services Society," whose aim will be to provide social and medical services as well as legal assistance to workers. The reports state that ETUF officials have accused the workers of forming an illegal "shadow" body in order to weaken the "legitimate" union. ¶6. (U) In recent weeks, workers in a variety of sectors have continued to undertake, or at least threaten, strike action to exact demands from employers and the GOE. In early March, the 1,600 workers at Helwan's Telephone Equipment Company brought production lines to a halt demanding their as-yet-unpaid twelve-month bonus. On February 27, over 1,100 gardeners employed at 18 public sector gardens/parks went on strike over issues of mismanagement, low wages, and lack of promotion opportunities. Employees at the Cairo and Alexandria branches of the Schindler elevator company (whose Egyptian offices are majority-owned by the GOE) threatened to strike over the sale of company assts. Human rights NGO (and MEPI grant recipient) Land Center for Human rights reports that, in the second half of 2006 alone, there were 115 illegal strike/protest actions in industries as diverse as poultry farms, bakeries, shipyards, and cement, ceramic, and refrigerator factories. ¶7. (U) Labor disputes have not confined themselves to the industrial sectors. Teachers throughout Egypt recently threatened a walk-out over undelivered promises of salary increases. According to reports, Minister of Education Youssri el-Gamal announced that his ministry was drafting a bill to put into effect President Mubarak's suggestion to increase teachers' base salaries (to LE500, or USD 87, per month) and implement performance-related bonuses. The minister soon thereafter recalled the bill for "more thorough revision," which led to calls for a walk-out. Teachers have not yet exercised this threat. ¶8. Econoff Kevin Roland serves as Embassy Cairo's labor reporting officer. He may be reached at: RolandKS2@state.gov, 20-2-797-3952 (office),20-12-390-1034 (mobile). RICCIARDONE