Είναι από τους εργαζόμενους της Αιγυπτιακής βιομηχανίας χάλυβα Kouta, παρατίθεται αυτούσιο:
Message of Solidarity From the workers of Kouta Steel Factory in
Egypt To the workers of Vio.Me Industrial Minerals Factory in Greece!
We, the workers of Kouta Steel Factory, Tenth of Ramadan City, Egypt,
have followed the events taking place in Vio.Me industrial minerals
factory in Thessaloniki, Greece. We learned that the factory owner had
fled, and that a general assembly of the workers decided to place the
factory under workers’ self-management. Hence the factory was reopened
on February 12th, 2013, as a cooperative under workers’ management.
We would like to share with you our experience and struggle that
began about one and a half years ago, during which the independent trade
union stood at the forefront of the fight. This included sit-ins and
legal battles through the Prosecutor-General’s office and the ministry
of labour. The struggle culminated with an epoch-making decision by the
Prosecutor-General last August approving their right to place the
factory under workers’ self-management and authorising engineer Mohsen
Saleh to manage the factory. It is worth-noting that the owner had fled
earlier without paying the workers since last March.
The process has not gone free of obstacles and difficulties since
then, starting with arduous negotiations with Gas and Electricity
companies in order to schedule the factory’s debts which amount to $2.6
million and $0.9 million to both companies respectively. The workers
have given a lesson in self-sacrifice as they decided to deduct half
their wages to be used in purchasing raw materials (pallets).
We are now taking the final steps to resume the production process
after having reconnected gas and electricity. The Kouta Steel Factory
workers are all one in heart and mind, adamant to improve the factory
and proceed with our experiment till the end.
Though a thousand miles away from Greece, we send our strongest
expression of solidarity and support to the workers of Vio.Me and to
their newborn experiment in self-management. We also declare our
absolute rejection of the austerity measures that affect first and
foremost the working class, whether in Greece or here in Egypt.
We invite Vio.Me workers to start and exchange of our experiences in
struggle, so that we can benefit from lessons learned from both
experiments in self-management. Millions of workers are looking at us as
a concrete reality and an awaited dream.
Long Live Workers Struggle!
Long Live the struggle of the Vio.Me and Kouta Workers!
Long Live the struggle of the Vio.Me and Kouta Workers!
Chairman of the Independent Trade Union Chairman of the Board
Ahmad Shaarawy Mohsen Saleh
(mobile: 00201001896116)
Ahmad Shaarawy Mohsen Saleh
(mobile: 00201001896116)
H υπόθεση του εργοστασίου Kouta είναι συγκλονιστική.
Το Νοέμβριο του 2009 ξεκίνησαν
εκτεταμένες διαμαρτυρίες από 300 εργαζόμενους καθώς είχαν μείνει
απλήρωτοι για 3 μήνες. O ιδιοκτήτης Ουαλίντ Κουτα είχε εγκαταλείψει την
Αίγυπτο για να γλιτώσει την πληρωμή φόρων και δανείων. Επιπλέον, η
διεύθυνση του εργοστασίου κατάφερε να συγκεντρώσει 4 εκατομμύρια λίρες
Αιγύπτου από τους εργαζόμενους λέγοντας πως θα ξεκινήσει πάλι με την
συνεισφορά τους αυτή. Τελικά τα χρήματα κατέληξαν στις τσέπες του
ιδιοκτήτη χωρίς να ξεκινήσει η λειτουργία.
Από τότε, οι εργαζόμενοι δεν έχουν
σταματήσει να αγωνίζονται να ξεκινήσει πάλι με συχνές παρεμβάσεις στην
κοινωνία της Αιγύπτου, όπως διαμαρτυρίες, πορείες και συγκεντρώσεις.
Πηγή: http://ergasiakodeltio.wordpress.com/