March 30 was the day when the dispute between the Egyptian Government and Egyptian worker Nagy Rashad reached its climax. It was the day when the courts ruled against the Government, ordering it to introduce a new minimums wage for all workers commensurate with the continual rise in the cost of living. The landmark ruling, which drew massive support inside the labour community, was the result of a suit filed by Rashad. "Article 34 of the Labour Law stipulates the necessity of striking a balance between wages and prices," says Rashad. "We are only asking for what is already enshrined in the law," he told the Egyptian Mail in an interview. Rashad, 46, works at the State-owned Mills and Bakeries Company in northern Cairo. It was in 2005 when he first became proactive, contributing to some demonstrations organised by different political movements, pushing for wider constitutional reforms. In 2007, he was detained for joining in "unlicensed" protests. Rashad, a father of two sons and two daughters, all aged between 10 and 20, is known for trying to uphold the rights of workers. “What gives me courage is thirst for justice," he says. He has been encouraging his colleagues to stand up to the ‘highest authority responsible for their humiliation', as he puts it. It was two economists, Abdel-Fattah el-Gabali and Ahmed el-Nagger, who told the court hearing Rashad's lawsuit, that an Egyptian family needed a minimum monthly salary of LE1,200 (about $220) to live on. "The court was interested in this and sympathised with us," Rashad says. "It made us feel as if this injustice must end one day, especially as there are international treaties and agreements to force the Egyptian Government to provide a decent life for all." According to him, because of the stance he has taken on behalf of his fellow workers, Rashad was given the sack. But he stresses that he's ready to make any sacrifice so that "they can get their rights". "My arbitrary dismissal was merely a failed attempt to try and get me to keep quiet." Meanwhile, another court ruling has ordered his reinstatement, but he's still waiting for his employer to comply. In 2007, the ‘Workers' Movement for Change', a protest group, was established. Its members weren't even asking for their right to a decent life, but just to be able to live above the poverty line, according to Rashad. Rashad says his children have spent their whole lives below the poverty line, deprived of many essentials for many years. "The World Bank states that a person's income cannot be less than $2 a day. So LE1,200 is the bare minimum for a family," he says. After the issuing of the ruling, until May 1, Labour Day in Egypt, there was a truce-like atmosphere between the labourers and the Government. On May 2, over 1,000 workers held a protest, in Cairo which "will be followed by many other protests and acts of civil disobedience in response to the stubbornness of the Government", Rashad warns. "Having worked for the company for 22 years, I'm proud to be leading Egypt's workers, who are only demanding one thing: justice."
