CENTER FOR TRADE UNION & WORKERS SERVICES

( CTUWS )
Honored the French Republic’s Human Rights Prize

Press Release
Tanta Linen Company Workers Go in Strike
After Dismissal of the President of Their Plant Union
For the second day successively, the workers of Tanta Linen Company go in strike
protesting the decision of the company's management to dismiss Mr. Salah Musallem the
president of their trade union committee (plant union). Mr. Salah was accuse of inciting the
workers to go in strike. At the same time, the management dismissed its administrative
director and appointed in is place Mohsen El Ayat who was the former security director of
the company.
Yesterday (Saturday, 9 January 2010) about 800 workers announced a strike which
coincided with the beginning of the morning shift. They closed the company's gates and
announced a sit-in at the company's yard holding signs condemning the management and
the General Trade Union of Textile Industries which denied protection to the plant union
members and to its president Mr. Salah Musallem. Tens of the security trucks surrounded
the company in order to prevent the workers from getting out to the streets. A number of
security leaders from the Security Department of Gharbiya Governorate arrived to the
company and tried to convince the workers to put an end to their strike and to negotiate for
the cancellation of the dismissal decision. But the workers insisted to continue their strike.
The workers emphasized that the company's management, represented by its general
commissioner Mr. Mohamed El Seehy, commits such violations intentionally and that there
is a clear trend to liquidate the company in preparation for its closure. The workers revealed
the management's intention to sell the company's land at the real estate market similar to the
ginning plants of the Nile Company which was privatized and its lands and branches were
sold after privatization.
Mr. Gamal Osman, a labour leader of the company, said that the management dismissed the
president of the plant union without any investigation. Such an action is an insult to the
Minister of Manpower, the General Trade Union of Textile Industries ad the General Trade
Union Federation who signed with the management of the company an agreement which
was unfair to the workers'
Egypt/Helwan rights. The
- Mohammed Said agreement did not make
Ahmed st.- Petrogas an end
buildings- to the arbitrary
Alexandria building-actions
of the management.SecondAccording to Mr.No.
Floor – Apartment Osman,
(2) the lands of the
P.O. Box. company, which was
114 Helwan
Tel: +202 255 93 929 / +2012 0532 488 Fax:
privatized a few years ago, will be sold at a very cheap price. During the + 202 255two
93 932
days which
E-mail: ctuws.ctuws@gmail.com, Website:http://www.ctuws.com
preceded the strike, the company transferred its stored products and row lien to its
warehouses in the City of Nubariya. The company refused to enter into contracts to buy the
crop of row linen this year. Such an action shows that the company was getting ready to
confront the strike. The purpose was to make the workers unable to control the production
process or to prevent the transportation of linen outside the factory during the strike.
Mr. Ashraf Al Harthy, another labour leader of the company, added that both the Ministry
of Manpower and the General Trade Union have sold the workers to a handful of investors
who exploit the workers. He said that all the confrontations with the corrupted managements
are the result of the privatization policy and the under the table transactions which do not
observe the human aspects of the workers and do not preserve the strategic industries such
as the textile industries and the linen industry.
Mr. Salah Musallem the president of the trade union committee of the company described
the dismissal decision as arbitrary and is not based on any investigation or legal evidences.
Thus, the management has violated its agreement with the General Trade Union which was
draft under the care of the Ministry of Manpower. He said that the management does not
observe any laws or regulations and accused the management of trying to destroy the trade
union committee by all means because the union reveals its manipulations.
The Linen Company workers stopped a strike which last for about 6 months last November
after they signed an agreement to disburse the annual increment of their wages by 7%,
increase the meal allowance to Egyptian Pounds 60 (instead of 30) and to assist each of the
company's workers by a minimum of Egyptian Pounds 200 to be disbursed from the
Contingency Fund for a period of six months as from last October.
The Center for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS) announces its full solidarity
with the Linen Company workers and calls upon all the concerned bodies to act to stop the
serious actions of the company's management against the works and the members of their
trade union committee. The CTUWS calls also for the cancellation of the management
decision to dismiss Mr. Mr. Salah Musallem the president of their trade union committee
because such a decision is a violation of the provisions of the Trade Union Law No. 35 for
1976. The CTUWS urges all the democratic powers in the Egyptian society to urgently
announce their solidarity with the workers of the company in order to prevent the
management from liquidating the company and dismissing its workers.

The Center for Trade Union and Workers Services (CTUWS)

January 10, 2010