Center for Trade Union and Workers Services

And the the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions

Refuse Repeatedly Assigning Manpower Portfolio
To any Member of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation

In what can be considered positive reaction with the demands of the Egyptian people, the High Military
Council accepted the resignation of Major General Ahmed Shafik and appointed Mr. Essam Sharaf the
former minister of transport to chair the cabinet of ministers. The first and second governments formed
by Shafik disappointed many sectors of the Egyptian society. The resignation was an urgent demand of
the youth who maintained their sit-in at Tahrir Square.
While the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions and the Center for Trade Union and
Workers Services welcome his resignation in response to the demands of the Egyptian people, they are
keen to emphasize repeatedly their stand regarding the Ministry of Manpower and Immigration which
was one of the serious faults in the formation of the previous cabinet. Assigning that post to Ismail
Fahmy treasurer of the “governmental” Federation angered the Egyptian workers who suffered for a
long time from this “ETUF” which is attached to that tyrannical regime as one of its tools of
suppression, denied their trade union rights and freedoms, monopolized their representation and forged
their votes.
While the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services and members of the founding board of the
Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions announce their refusal to assigning the manpower
and immigration portfolio to any leader or board members of the “ETUF”, they emphasize the
following:
Nominating any leader from the so called “ETUF” to the post of Minister of Manpower and
Immigration is a defiance not only to the will of the workers but also to the youth and to several
sectors of the Egyptian society who do not accept that organization any longer after the stand it
had taken against their revolution starting from its message of 26 January 2011 to presidents of
the general trade unions asking them strongly “to abort any attempt to get the workers involved
in the demonstrations in Cairo and other governorates”, passing by its second announcement on
Wednesday the 2nd of February in which it welcomed “the great changes and reforms
announced by President Mubarak through reforming the constitution and protecting Egypt from
going to the unknown …the Egyptian workers cannot accept abusing the regime” and ending
with the participation of the president and some of the leaders of ETUF in person in organizing
violence against the protestors at Tahrir Square and the Bloody Wednesday.
Nominating a member of ETUF for this Ministry of Manpower means the continuity to uphold
this “governmental” federation which has always been attached to the regime as a part of the
tools of tyranny, despotism and corruption. It will also mean ultimately that the new
government adopts the stand of ETUF which denies the Egyptian workers right to choose their
trade unions freely and that the new government accepts to maintain the constrains on this right.

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 Such constrains, inter alia, had caused the congestion of the workers arena which led to the
situation we witness at the present time.
Assigning this portfolio to a leader of this “governmental” organization refers to the continuity
of the infamous approach of the former political regime which combines both the trade union
organization and the Ministry of Manpower in such a manner which turned the two of them into
two administrations attached to the authority and lacking efficiency and effectiveness.
While the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services, the founding board the Egyptian
Federation of Independent Trade Unions and leaders of the independent trade unions emphasize
that any disagreeable choice will increase congestion and block the road for dialogue and
negotiation amongst the social parties – which cannot take place without the democratic
representation of these parties – they hope that the causes of congestion will be removed.
The social, economic and democratic demands of the Egyptian workers which were
demonstrated in countless occasions and by different means have become apparent without any
ambiguity. The government should deal with these demands in a positive manner, and should as
a priority put into effect the Egyptian workers right to form independent unions and to remove
all the legal barriers which prevent the workers freedom of expression.

Thursday, 3rd March 2011.