As the demands of the Mahala strikers are met, the prospect of copycat industrial action has grown, writes Karim El-Khashab Disruption at the Mahala textile factory ended on Sunday after a week of industrial action on a scale not seen in Egypt for decades. After refusing to negotiate with striking workers and arresting eight of their leaders, the government finally backed down, entering into talks and reaching a deal after a marathon session of negotiations. The agreement includes the immediate payment of annual profit share bonuses. In addition, the week long strike is to be treated as a paid holiday and workers have received verbal assurances that the company's chairman, Mohamed Gibali, will be investigated. The increasing resolve of the workers during the six-day strike took the government by surprise, especially when the arrest of leading labour activists failed to dent their determination or ability to organise. To fully understand the strike, though, and the workers' conviction that this time their grievances must be addressed, it is necessary to look beyond the factory gates. Mahala's 70-year-old industrial complex -- it is often referred to as the fortress -- is one of the largest in the Middle East and Africa. In its early years it became a symbol of Egypt's industrial drive. Now, though, it is a synonym for decay, with a crumbling or non- existent infrastructure, a constant reminder of the failed promise that industrialisation would bring prosperity in its wake. Many of the towns and villages around the factory lack even the most basic services. The experience of Hamdi El-Naggar, who has worked at the factory for more than 10 years, is typical. He lives in a one bedroom flat in Mahala with his four children, wife and parents. "I am one of the lucky ones," he says, pointing out that he doesn't have to pay for transportation since he lives near the factory. Other workers can pay up to LE80 of their LE300 monthly salary on transport. "There is no sewage system here, and we had to bring in electricity and phone lines ourselves," says Hamdi. Despite this the rent for his tiny flat takes up almost half of his salary. "I don't mind all of this, I can live anywhere and I'm still better off than many others. But then prices started to skyrocket though our salaries remained calculated to the last piastre." The workers, says Hamdi, were not asking for luxuries but the bare necessities, adding that he had several times considered removing his children from school but never had the heart to do it. As central security troops were slowly withdrawing from the area on Monday there was a growing sense of achievement among the workers. Not only had they managed to have bonus payments doubled but they had struck a blow at both Gibali and Hussein Migawer, head of the government-affiliated Egyptian Federation of Trade Unions. Workers at the factory, who report they were forced to take action after the company repeatedly failed to make good on earlier promises, now say they are no longer content with a financial settlement if it means management and union structures remain unchanged. It is a remarkable change from their position in December last year when they ended a strike on the basis of promises that would remain unmet. Mohamed Attar, who was arrested during the strike, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the workers now see themselves as part of a wider struggle. "This is no longer about wages and benefits, it is about dignity and the right to a decent life," he said, pointing out that the workers at Mahala are well aware that their success will inspire others to take a similar stand. Attar dismisses claims in the state-owned press, frequently repeated by Migawer, that the protesters were being used by opposition groups. "We were incited by our plight, and there isn't much anyone could offer us anyway, but if they [the government] think we are frightened of being called political they are wrong. Our struggle is about representation, a decent life and dignity, and that is about as political as it gets." Last week's strike could well have a domino effect. Already workers at the Kafr Al-Dawar textile plant are voicing similar demands to those made at Mahala, and workers in factories in Tanta and Beheira have gone on strike.
