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Roundup: Egypt marks Labor Day amid less workers' protests

Xinhua, May 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Egypt marks this year's Labor Day on Sunday amid less workers' sit-ins, strikes and protests compared to the past few years of political turmoil that witnessed the ouster of two heads of state via popular uprisings.

"The workers' sit-ins in 2015 were not up to the level of organized strikes in accordance with the law," Egyptian Manpower Minister Mohamed Safaan said in a statement Sunday, noting that all labor protests held last year demanded legitimate rights and they were friendly settled.

The minister noted that the workers' protests at work place decreased nationwide from 287 in 2014 with over 114,000 protesters to 175 in 2015 with over 55,000 protesters.

"The year 2015 witnessed 93 strikes and 82 sit-ins at work place, the year 2014 witnessed 186 strikes and 101 sit-ins at work place while the year 2013 witnessed 240 strikes and 103 sit-ins at work place," the manpower minister added.

Safaan said that his ministry launched awareness campaigns to acquaint labors with their rights and the legitimate channels through which they can demand them, as well as holding seminars at labor-intensive plants nationwide to tell labors and employers about the mechanism of collective negotiations and their role in containing any possible disputes between the two parties.

Egyptian workers have been suffering low income and a layoff wave over the past few years due to privatization of many labor-intensive, state-owned companies.

A long-awaited law for minimum wages of 1,200 Egyptian pounds per month (about 135 U.S. dollars) has been partly enforced in early 2014, but only in several administrative government institutions that include about six million workers without being applied in the private sector that employs about 70 percent of Egypt's 24-million workers.

Most Egyptian ministries and authorities made congratulatory statements on addressing Egyptian workers on the 2016 Labor Day, including the Egyptian army from which President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi hailed.

"We congratulate the loyal workers of Egypt, the nation's hope for a prosperous future and the pillar for science, sincerity and proficiency," Military Spokesman Mohamed Samir said in a statement Sunday.

A couple of days earlier, President Sisi and Prime Minister Sherif Ismail attended a prior Labor Day celebration activity held Thursday by the General Federation of Egyptian Labor Unions.

"As the state asks you for more work and production with effort and efficiency, it is also keen on protecting your rights and providing you with the necessary insurance cover at the social and health levels to guarantee a decent life for the workers of Egypt," the president told workers during the celebration.

Sisi also ordered 100 million Egyptian pounds (about 11.2 million dollars) from a state fund based on citizens' donors to be allocated to the emergency fund of the Manpower Ministry.

The Egyptian cabinet, also on Thursday, congratulated the Egyptian workers on the Labor Day, stressing "the significant role of the Egyptian workers in pushing the wheel of production during the current stage." Endit