Egypt's elections

"The revolution of January 25 was only successful until Hosni Mubarak stepped down on February 11. After that, not anymore," said Abdel Nabi Hamed. For over 30 years, Hamed worked in Egypt's largest sugar factory. The facility in Hawamdia, some 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of Cairo, employs around 25,000 workers. In Hamed's opinion, the ruling military council still belongs to the old regime.

"The word revolution means a radical change of society and a complete break with the status quo," he said. "But that hasn't happened in Egypt yet."

Hamed is still in regular contact with his colleagues even though he retired seven years ago. He advises the younger workers in union issues, frequently meeting with them in a tea shop in Hawamdia. The laborers ask themselves how much the management earns and how much more wages they could demand. They discuss how they could form an independent union.

Unions weren't free

Before the revolution, similar meetings in public would have been unthinkable, Hamed said.

"Anyone who opened his mouth was denounced to the national security authorities," he said. "Even the official works councils could only be founded with a corresponding permit."

Accordingly, the sole umbrella organization for unions in Egypt in the Mubarak era only weakly fought for workers' interests, he said. Union leaders were always members of the government party at that time. Such compulsory membership in the umbrella organization helped the regime to avert the foundation of free and independent unions. This has changed following the revolution.

Workers' reorganization

Kamal Abu Eita is a tax officer and president of the new association of independent unions in Egypt. He is enthusiastic about the new establishment of several unions in the months following the revolution. According to Eita, there are union initiatives in practically every factory. There are no exact figures on membership, as new groups joined almost daily.

Eita said this wave of union activity was due to a law with the military council that facilitates new unions being set up. He and his comrades were able to push through the law. A growing number of visitors are coming to the organization headquarters in a small apartment in a high rise near Tahrir Square. For Eita, independent unions are a central component on the path to democracy in Egypt.

"You can't build up democracy as long as there are no unions which are so strong that they can have a say politically," Eita said. "And most importantly, they have to be independent."

Eita already turned down a ministerial post in the first interim government at the end of February. He said the processes were too undemocratic for his taste.

At the moment, Eita is a sought-after partner by the media. His organization is increasingly gaining significance. It has become all the more important to him to enter into the right coalitions. Right now, he still doesn't know exactly with which parties his organization will work together after the elections. But it's clear to him that the elections and the period afterwards are of key significance for the future of Egypt.

"We as unions want to contribute to the development of the foundation of our democracy," Eita said. "If we all do nothing and simply wait and see, then all of our demands and dreams which we fought for will remain unfulfilled."

Should they be denied the right to free unions, there would be nothing else to do but to return to the street and start from the beginning.

No help from abroad

Egypt experienced sporadic strikes on and off in the past months. The new unions helped organize protest marches for a legal minimum wage, but also against the power of the military. Only little information reached the public eye, though. Individual unions are too inefficient in their public relations, Eita said. His organization also required support in this area.

At the moment, though, foreign organizations which could offer assistance have their hands tied, said Felix Eikenberg, head of the Cairo office of the German political foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

"Right now there's a campaign against alleged foreign interference in Egypt," Eikenberg said. This mainly served to discredit those organizations which are uncomfortable for the military rulers. It is an attempt to salvage the control exerted during the Mubarak regime into a new era.

"This falls onto fertile ground in some cases so that there are certain reservations toward foreign organizations," he said.

Support by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is therefore limited to providing advice on how to form a labor union. Courses to further train new members complement the program. The foundation is helping Eita's group, for example, to network internationally.

Election skepticism

The sugar workers in Hawamdia are also afraid to make use of foreign support, said Hamed. In order to politically isolate them, the factory's chief executive accused them in a television talk show of collaborating with foreign enemies. It's an accusation which according to current Egyptian law amounts to high treason. Also, only a few of the striking workers are willing to talk to foreign journalists. The presence of the old regime is noticeable in people's minds. Union members are no exception.

Perhaps that's also why Hamed is pessimistic about these elections. The remnants of the regime have enough resources to buy votes for themselves, he said. They can manipulate the elections. Nevertheless he doesn't want to give up his dream of a democratic Egypt.

"This dream can only be realized by the pressure from the streets," Hamed said.

Author: Khalid El Kaoutit / sac
Editor: Rob Mudge