Moves to form new workers' party in Egypt

Submitted by martin on 28 February, 2011 - 5:02

The Daily News Egypt reports that on 25 February, leaders from independent labour unions and workers' groups agreed on starting legal procedures for establishing the "Labor Democratic Party" and approved its primary founding statement.

"Businessmen and political elites have their own parties and groups while workers, despite their critical role in the revolution, don't have a political party to represent and lead them in the struggle for power," read the founding announcement of the party.

http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/egypt/workers-leftists-to-form-new-parties.html.

Comments

Submitted by Bruce on Wed, 02/03/2011 - 14:43

The first statement of the Labour Democratic Party can be found here. In part it reads (in a clunky online translation):

"The Egyptian labor movement is the first line of defense for the Egyptian revolution and the spearhead of the revolution. The continuation of this movement and its development is the only guarantee for the success of the revolution and to prevent counter-revolution brought by the former regime from behind the scenes, but the labor movement needs to reorganize and unify their struggle to be able to achieve its objectives and the elimination of enemies. We need darkening of the wave of strikes and sit-ins and deepen and expand in the public sector and private sectors. We need to establish strike committees and independent trade unions everywhere. We need to establish an independent Federation of Egyptian Workers and the ultimate elimination of the Federation of recent Mubarak era. We need a political party, the voice of workers and a forum for all toilers and the exploited and oppressed in Egypt. We need to establish committees to defend the revolution in popular neighborhoods, labor and the workplace in all parts of Egypt..."

The statement also spells out their demands including:

"The social justice demanded by the workers, which constitute one of the most important goals of the revolution means the overthrow of the General Union and the trial of its corrupt and fraudulent leaders and symbols of the Union and the establishment of new independent trade unions noble and expressive of the democratically elected against the demands and aspirations of the Egyptian workers. Social justice means setting a minimum wage is not less than 1500 pounds and a maximum wage is not more than ten times the minimum. Social justice means the overthrow of the governing bodies of companies and corrupt terrorists and those who accumulated billions from the sweat and blood of the workers. Social justice means the re-nationalization of companies and institutions that have been privatized at the cheapest prices for a handful of business leaders and placed under the democratic control of workers. Social justice means to control prices and eliminate the monopoly of greedy traders. Social justice means the unemployment allowance to unemployed youth and the establishment of projects of public employment to eliminate unemployment."

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