Workers and Farmers Write their Constitution
The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, the Egyptian Federation for Independent Trade Unions, the Egyptian Farmers Association and the Egyptian Committee for Protecting the Workers Rights, hold a sequence of workshops and field meetings with workers and peasants to prepare an economic and social rights bill for Egyptians, and its heart the rights and freedoms of workers and peasants, to be included in the new Egyptian constitution. The first of this sequence of workshops is to be held in al-Sayeed association on Friday 30th of December 2011.
Kamal Abou Eita, the head of the Egyptian Federation for Independent Trade Unions, said that: we will not wait until constitutional texts are imposed on us to discuss. We will rather seek to put the dreams of simple peasants and workers in this bill in the first place. After finishing field work and discussions, we will entrust a legal committee to frame this dream into a constitutional and right based context.
Abd El-Megeid El-Khouly, head of The Egyptian Farmers Union, said: the constitution determines the rights and duties of every individual and authority in society; and workers and peasants will not be absent in this process. We will actively participate through this bill, and will put it forward for discussion by all political parties and social forces to mobilize for its support, and later will submit it to the committee that will draft the constitution.
Khaled Ali, a lawyer in the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, said: that the initiative of including workers and peasants in preparing a bill for economic and social rights emerged from the meetings of the Egyptian Committee for Protection of Workers Rights, hosted by the Center, which held two preparatory meetings to plan for this idea and implement it, and will hold a third meeting Monday 27th of December to agree on the remaining steps for implementation.
The labor leader Mohamed Abd-Elsallam, Coordinator of the Egyptian Committee for Protection of Workers Rights, said: we launched this initiative and welcome the participation of all social and civil forces to participate with us in the meetings, workshops, field work, and in drafting the bill.
The Egyptian Farmers Union
The Egyptian Federation for Independent Trade Unions
The Egyptian Committee for Protection of the Workers Rights
The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights
For all who wants to participate, or assist this initiative please contact any of the following:
Fatma Ramadan, Egyptian Federation for Independent Trade Unions 01001260053
Abd El Megeed Al-Khoully – Egyptian Farmers Union 01274963010
Mohamad Abd El-Sallam – Egyptian Committee for Protection of Workers Rights 00106605822
Nadeem Mansour – Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights 01222759957
