By Abdel-Ghaffar Shukr Over the past few months, workers have staged industrial action in various parts of the country. This came as a surprise for many who thought that the labour movement was dead. With the sale of a large portion of state-owned companies, and with many experienced labour leaders having retired, no one expected a wave of strikes and sit-ins to break out on such a scale. Most of the labour force now work in high-tech factories and therefore have less negotiating power, or so we were told. But what we know now is that the demise of the labour movement is a myth. Workers are still willing to engage in industrial protest. They are still willing to press their demands in a legitimate and orderly fashion. This much was clear in the recent wave of industrial action. In practically every case, workers were making purely professional demands. Not once did workers turn their grievances into a political question. Textile workers were demanding the implementation of the investment minister's decisions regarding bonuses. The workers in Shebin Al-Kom wanted their financial dues paid in full before the company was sold to an Indian businessman. Railway workers demanded the payment of regular allowances. Mill workers objected to ministerial decisions that would have reduced their periodic raises. None of the strikes involved sabotage, and the workers returned to work as soon as their demands were met. If anything, this should alert us to the fact that we need stronger guarantees for the rights of labour. Management that had little experience dealing with workers' issues triggered most of the recent disturbances. And most strikes could have been avoided had the government addressed labour issues in a timely manner. We need a state policy on labour. And we need management that is more sensitive to workers' problems. This week's Soapbox speaker is a leading figure in the leftist Al-Tagammu Party.
