Middle East
Mutinies in the American army, 2004-2005 - Echanges #111
A brief discussion of incidences of dissatisfaction in the US Army during the Iraq War.
Mutinies, the word can seem excessive because Iraq is not (yet) Vietnam. However, a refusal to obey in the army, whatever the reason, is a mutiny and quite often such acts of insubordination have started with minor acts. Even isolated, such acts are indicative of "troop morale", an essential element for continuing war.
Egypt: Update on the Mansoura-España Garments Company workers sit-in
Update on the occupation of more than half the workers at the Mansoura-España Garments Company, previously reported on libcom, which has now lasted continuously for over a month.
Taken from the 3arabawy blog by Egyptian writer Hossam el-Hamalawy.
Egyptian cement workers refuse buy-out and propose self-management
The Cement workers in Tora, Helwan and Suez are refusing an early buyout scheme their Italian management is currently drafting, with the aim of cutting down the labor force.
Instead the workers want to buy the shares of the foreign management, and are proposing they (the workers) run the company themselves, promising to bring down the cement market price from LE400 per ton (expected to rise soon to LE600) to LE200.
Egypt: Garment workers' sit-in reaches 26th day
Report from Egyptian blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy on a sit in of over 150, mostly female garment workers at the Mansoura-España Garments Company.
Taken from the 3arabawy blog by Egyptian writer Hossam el-Hamalawy
I travelled Wednesday to Talkha in the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya to follow up on the Mansoura-España Garments Company workers’ sit-in, which has entered its 26th day…
Israel: nine students arrested outside the Knesset.
The students were arrested for assaulting police officers.
A total of four officers were lightly wounded by stones during a large demonstration in Jerusalem on Monday. Roughly 1000 students headed for the parliament building and tried to gain entry, it was at this point that fighting broke out between police and demonstrators.
Strikes in Egypt spread from centre of gravity
The longest and strongest wave of worker protest since the end of World War II is rolling through Egypt. In March, the liberal daily al-Masri al-Yawm estimated that no fewer than 222 sit-in strikes, work stoppages, hunger strikes and demonstrations had occurred during 2006.
Take from Middle East Report Online
In the first five months of 2007, the paper has reported a new labour action nearly every day. The citizen group Egyptian Workers and Trade Union Watch documented 56 incidents during the month of April, and another 15 during the first week of May alone.[1]
Interview with Rasem Al Bayari, Palestinian trade unionist
Being a trade unionist is a very dangerous business in Palestine.
Rasem Al Bayari, Deputy General Secretary of the PGFTU (Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions), an ITUC affiliate, knows that well: following the destruction of a PGFTU building in October 2006 and the firing of two rockets at his home in January, on 6 April Rasem Al Bayari was injured by masked men who attacked him while he was in a car with his family.
Updates on student struggle in Israel
A week following the previously reported protest, another student protest took a more incendiary turn, blocking streets, burning tires and attempt to block the highway, the latter successful for a longer period of time, though faced with tougher repression.
The protest disbanded in response to leaders' call, marking an increase in violence but a decrease in independence by student militants.
Violence at Iranian mayday celebrations
Security forces attacked workers celebrating May Day in different cities across Iran.
In Tehran, in which only the government-sponsored Workers’ House is legally permitted to hold rallies, thousands of workers with independent slogans participated in the event at the Shiroodi (former Amjadie) stadium and did not let the official event conclude. Alireza Mahjoub, the head of the Workers’ House, was interrupted by chanting workers and could not finish his speech.
Israel: teachers strike over pay and conditions
Teachers in Haifa and Tel Aviv have voted to take strike action after the collapse of negotiations over pay and conditions.
Teachers plan to launch a full strike today, classes on Sunday were cancelled except for those students preparing for exams.
