- EGYPT
- September 1, 2016
- 6 minutes read
Egyptian Revolutionary Council Urges Workers to Participate in Civil Disobedience
The Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC) called on Egyptian workers Tuesday to join civil disobedience action with the rest of the Egyptian people from all walks of life, to save the poor, especially the workers. ERC urged workers in all sectors of society to begin to reduce the rate of production per worker on an individual level to suit the pittance paid them.
In a statement, ERC stated that procedures for reducing the rate of production could include not working one second more than official times, nor on holidays or extra hours without extra pay, deliberately slowing down return from breaks and lunchtimes, and in any moves within the workplace, and increasing talk rates during work-time with colleagues.
According to ERC, such procedures could also include: not to repair any malfunction even if the worker is able to fix it, not to collaborate with any colleagues in any action that may increase production, exploitation of all opportunities and means to not go to work – like reporting sick etc, and generally any action or inaction a worker finds suitable to reduce production without causing direct harm to himself or herself.
ERC: "The junta in Egypt is still threatening the workers’ source of income as if they were their nemesis. The junta has realized that the workers are the biggest force and the hardest nut to crack in any revolutionary movement. One of the manifestations of the junta’s fierce war against the workers is sale of the business sector companies purportedly for making losses.
"These losses are not the workers’ fault, but they a product of the accumulated corruption within state institutions, as a result of long years of continuous military rule. Workers cannot find food for their families, while senior staff and officials earn more than 18 million pounds bonuses in one year, in just one company.
"Details of alleged losses spread by the junta’s media henchmen is clearly an introduction to selling business sector companies after stock market flotation, and thus the sacking of tens of thousands of workers… Workers should protect business sector companies against attempts to sell them in every way possible.
"Preparation for mass civil disobedience that shakes the pillars of tyranny is the best solution at this stage of Egypt’s Revolution. Workers are always the cornerstone of all revolutions. They are the vanguard of the Egyptian Revolution."
ERC put forward several axes for the application of civil disobedience individually and gradually by all "those who believe in the inevitability of fragmentation of the junta’s authority over the State, for the liberation of Egypt.
ERC further called for a full refusal from paying any bills (electricity, water and gas) to coup authorities, as much as possible without incurring any personal injury or harm. ERC suggested payments could be put back as far as possible, if total non-payment is impossible. It also suggested workers should photograph, publish and expose all aspects of government corruption at all levels, on social networking websites or any other means available for publication.
Moreover, ERC urged non-payment of taxes – through all means available, with zakat, alms or donations made only to those who deserve them directly without involving any religious or government institution. It also suggested boycotting all products produced by businesses belonging to supporters of the military junta, and boycotting all products and civil services provided by the army. It further urged all citizens to refrain from visiting malls and commercial areas monopolized by the ruling class.
"Spreading the culture of civil disobedience all over Egypt is of paramount importance. Each of us is capable of bringing about change. We only need to believe in our ability to defeat injustice. We must continue to build a culture of public civil disobedience, which history and experience have shown, time and time again, to be the most successful peaceful popular resistance operations… The time will soon come… at the right moment, we will announce a general civil disobedience."
