The Ghazl Al Mahalla cotton workers’ strike scheduled for April 6th to force the government to meet their demands, has prompted wide spread calls by different activist groups to turn the day into a country-wide general strike.To overcome the expected failure of the government owned press & media to cover the planned strike and the limited coverage it's getting in the independent media, Egyptian activists and workers have resorted to SMS messages, Blogs, FaceBook groups, and word of mouth to call for a day of civil disobedience or an "Egyptian Intifada".
Here is the text of the document distributed by the organizers of the strike:
“All national forces in Egypt have agreed upon the 6th of April to be a public strike. On the 6th of April, stay home, do not go out; Don’t go to work, don’t go to the university, don’t go to school, don’t open your shop, don’t open your pharmacy, don’t go to the police station, don’t go to the camp; We need salaries allowing us to live, we need to work, we want our children to get education, we need human transportation means, we want hospitals to get treatment, we want medicines for our children, we need just judiciary, we want security, we want freedom and dignity, we want apartments for youth; We don’t want prices increase, we don’t want favoritism, we don’t want police in plain clothes, we don’t want torture in police stations, we don’t want corruption, we don’t want bribes, we don’t want detentions. Tell your friends not to go to work and ask them to join the strike.”
We will soon find out the extend of the success of this call.
Solidarity!!!
2 comments:
I think improvements should start from each individual, whether it is the organisation planning the strike or the authorities responsible for the needs of the people, one cannot ask, and ask and keep on asking without taking any responsibility in making their life and other people's life easier, I do not fully agree with you in blaming authorities for Egypt's every problem,I am not Egyptian and so I am not in any way defending the authorities,but I feel individuals are not doing much to improve conditions, besides, people everywhere are facing similar problems b/c of the recession, war, etc... and I do not think strike is the answer, millions of people on that day will be depending on their salaries that day to feed their kids....
This is an important action. For updates people can look at the following blog: http://arabist.net/arabawy/. Working-class Egyptians are extremely hard-working and patient. This is the culmination of frustrations that have been boiling for decades and we must show our support and solidarity. It is the neoliberal policies pursued by the Mubarak regime that have brought most Egyptians to the brink of poverty / starvation. Saying otherwise is like blaming the victim. Courage to the strikers in Mahallaha and other cities, villages and neighborhoods throughout Egypt!! :)
Post a Comment