In the Middle East and North Africa, the Solidarity Center supports democratic unions and civil society organizations as they defend the human right to freedom of association, promote worker equality, and raise awareness of the global economic context in which they labor.
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Iraqi workers march in Basra in 2006, protesting the country's proposed oil and gas law. Photo courtesy of IFOU |
The rich history of union activism in much of the MENA region goes back to the 1920s, when labor movements formed the working-class base of the struggle against colonial authorities. Today, global economic and political dynamics are eroding the universal human rights that democratic trade unions defend. Government efforts to liberalize come at a great cost: the erosion of worker rights and economic fairness. In most MENA countries, cumbersome laws facilitate government intervention in trade union operation. The same laws generally exclude or discriminate against certain categories of workers, notably women, migrant, and public sector workers. The Solidarity Center partners with the many regional trade unions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that strive to improve domestic labor law and its implementation, and to give workers a voice in shaping the economic development of their countries.
Region-wide programs strengthen the political and economic rights of workers by promoting rule of law, defending freedom of association, building capacity and internal union democracy, and encouraging trade union organizing. Each of the trade unions and civil society organizations in the MENA region, dedicated to advancing the human rights of workers, grow stronger through their alliances with each other and with the global labor movement. This strategic approach is an element of all the Solidarity Center’s work in the MENA region.
The Solidarity Center has offices in Algeria, Morocco, Qatar, and Lebanon, and programs with union and NGO partners in 12 countries across the region.
Report: Most Palestinian Workers Paid Less than Minimum Wage. May 7, 2013—More than half of Palestinian workers—59 percent—earn less than the national minimum wage established in October 2012, and women workers are paid half as much as male wage earners, according to a new report. A large majority, 85 percent, of Palestinian workers do not have a written contract guaranteeing their conditions of employment.
Bahrain: Medics, Patients Persecuted in Ongoing Repression. April 11, 2013—For sick or injured Bahrainis, going to the hospital means risking a prison term—or even death. Describing the “militarization of hospitals,” Rula Al-Saffar, president of the Bahrain Nursing Society, said patients with “head traumas, broken bones or burns” are first interrogated by police to determine if they are involved in protests against the government.
Egypt: Cement Workers Seek to Shed Low-Wage Temporary Status. March 15, 2013—Mohammed Hamid, a cement worker in Alexandria, Egypt, has worked for the same company for 12 years. Yet he says he is classified as “temporary,” which means he makes far less than full-time workers and receives no benefits. Many of his co-workers are in the same position. So in February, he and other workers at Portland Cement waged a sit-in at the corporate office—and were routed by more than 1,000 security forces with attack dogs and electric prods. Several workers suffered injuries, including broken bones.
Working Women Empowered: Making Democracy in Tunisia. March 5, 2013—In December 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a 23-year-old market vendor in Tunisia, self-immolated to protest deep-seated government corruption that made it impossible for him to earn a living. Following his desperate action, Tunisian women helped spur protests and end autocratic regimes in Tunisia and throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Today, Tunisian women remain in the forefront of ensuring democratic change in their country during the difficult years of government transition.
On Second Anniversary of Uprising, Bahrainis Say Crisis Is Worse. February 14, 2013—Tens of thousands of Bahrainis are in the streets today, the second anniversary of the uprising in Bahrain, to protest the government’s lack of progress in moving toward a more democratic political process. But any Bahraini student who is absent from class will be expelled, and any teacher who does not show up for work will be fired, according to Jalila Al-Salman, a founder of the Bahraini Teachers’ Society.
Tunisian Union Calls Strike to Protest Murder. February 8, 2013—The Tunisian Labor Federation (Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail, UGTT) is holding a general strike today in response to the murder Wednesday of a popular political leader. Chokri Belaid, a respected human rights lawyer and leader of the Democratic Patriots party, a major partner of the opposition Popular Front, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen as he left home on his way to work.
ILO Report: 52 Million Domestic Workers Worldwide. January 9, 2013—Some 52 million people over age 15—primarily women—labor as domestic workers around the world, according to a report released today by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Of those, 83 percent are women. The vast number of domestic workers, 21.4 million, are in Asia and the Pacific region, with 19.6 million in Latin America, 5.2 million in Africa and 2.1 million in the Middle East.
10 Injured in Violent Attack on Tunisian Trade Union. December 4, 2012—Ten people were injured today after they were attacked by a mob of men wielding knives, sticks and rocks at the Tunisian Labor Federation (Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail UGTT) in the capital, Tunis.
Charges Dropped Against Egyptian Trade Union Leader. December 4, 2012—An Egyptian court late last month closed the case of trade union leader Kamal Abbas, who was sentenced in absentia earlier this year to six months imprisonment on charges he “insulted a state executive.”
Bahrain: Trade Unionist Released from Prison. December 3, 2012—Jalila Al-Salman, acting president of the Bahraini Teachers’ Association, was released from prison Nov. 25, according to Education International (EI). Al-Salman, who was jailed in March 2011, was serving a three-year term for exercising her right to freedom of assembly and for demanding reforms in Bahrain’s educational system. Education International and LabourStart spearheaded a global petition campaign urging Bahrain’s government to release both teachers, sparking international outrage that aided in Al-Salman’s release.
Egyptian Union Law Decree May Mean Government Interference, Unions Say. November 30, 2012—Labor unions and worker rights organizations are decrying a newly decreed amendment to Egypt’s Mubarak-era trade union law, which threatens freedom of association and the right to organize independent and representative trade unions.
Moroccan Trade Union Leader Released from Jail. November 29, 2012—Excellent news from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF): Mohamed Chamchati,the unjustly detained general secretary of the Moroccan merchant seafarers’ union, has been released. Like his colleague, Said Elhairech, who was freed in October, Chamchati was arrested in June on clearly mistaken charges. Yesterday, he and others were released without charge.
Moroccan Trade Union Leader Released from Jail. November 29, 2012—Excellent news from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF): Mohamed Chamchati,the unjustly detained general secretary of the Moroccan merchant seafarers’ union, has been released. Like his colleague, Said Elhairech, who was freed in October, Chamchati was arrested in June on clearly mistaken charges. Yesterday, he and others were released without charge.
Bahraini Teachers Jailed. November 5, 2012—Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila al-Salman, the president and vice president of the Bahraini Teachers' Association, were sentenced to five and six months in prison after a court in Bahrain upheld their convictions last week. The two were arrested in 2011 after supporting calls for reform in Bahrain. Abu Dheeb has spent some 18 months in prison and al-Salman spent five and a half months in prison before being released on bail. Prior to that, they were held in solitary confinement, where they say they were subjected to torture or other ill-treatment and forced to sign “confessions” they did not even read.
Union Members Stave off Attack on Tunisian Trade Union. October 10, 2012—The offices of the Tunisan Labor Federation (Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail, UGTT) in Tunis, Tunisia, were attacked at 8:45 a.m. today by up to 200 thugs wielding rocks and bottles. Union supporters, including a Solidarity Center staff member, rushed to the scene and barricaded entry to the offices. Ever since last year’s elections, the UGTT has been repeatedly targeted with vicious attacks from groups hostile to the union. Firebomb attacks during the night of June 11-12 damaged three UGTT offices in Bousalam, Bengarden and Jendouba.
On World Teacher Day, Unions Back Jailed Bahraini Teachers. October 5, 2012—Today, World Teachers’ Day, reminds us how valuable teachers are for building our future—and how fragile their profession can be. Massive teacher shortages are “quietly looming over countries struggling to provide every child with quality primary education by 2015,” according to UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Jailed Moroccan Trade Unionist Released. October 2, 2012—Moroccan trade unionist Said Elhairech has been released from prison and all serious charges dropped against him, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) said today. Only one minor charge against Elhairech remains. However, Mohamed Chamchati, general secretary of Morocco’s Merchant Seafarer’s Union, remains in detention.
ITUC: Bahrain Bans Trade Union and ILO Observers. 28 September 2012—The ITUC has issued a statement condemning the Bahrain government’s refusal to allow at least seven representatives of the ITUC, national trade union organizations and the United Nations’ ILO to enter the country to take part in the Congress of the country’s trade union center GFBTU.
Human Rights Award Goes to Workers from the Arab Uprisings. September 14, 2012--Yesterday in Washington, D.C., Hassine Abassi, Gerneral Secretary, Tunisian General Union of Labor (UGTT) and S. Salman Jaddar Al Mahfoodh, General Secretary, General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU), received the 2012 George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award on behalf of their respective labor movements, as emblematic of the labor movements across the Middle East working to preserve democracy, justice and freedom during a ceremony at the AFL-CIO’s headquarters in Washington.
Join in Global Solidarity for Jailed Moroccan Union Leaders. September 28, 2012—The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is organizing global support for the release of two Moroccan union leaders jailed in mid-June for defending the rights of ferry workers stranded in France and Spain after their company declared bankruptcy.
One Dead and Four "Disappeared" in Algeria Following Peaceful March. July 17, 2012—Brutal and violent government repression of worker rights activists has resulted in the death of one and the disappearance of four others in Algeria. A 2,000-strong force of riot police used water cannons and extreme violence to break up the march in the suburb of Birkhadem, resulting in more than 700 arrests. Four of the arrested have simply disappeared. One activist, Said Lasfer, died on July 12 as a result of blows and injuries he suffered at the hands of the police.
Union Offices in Tunisia Firebombed. June 13, 2012—The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has issued the following statement: Tunisian Islamic fundamentalists unleashed a campaign of firebombing trade union offices around the country yesterday, as the Salafist movement challenged the emerging democracy in the home of the “Arab Spring.”
Algerian Workers Risk Health, Protest Government Crackdown with Hunger Strike. May 31, 2012—After more than three weeks on a hunger strike to protest government repression of the independent trade union movement, six women and two men from Algeria’s National Federation of Justice Workers are increasingly frail and face grave, possibly permanent, health threats. A ninth worker suspended his hunger strike.
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Libya: The Road Ahead. October 27, 2011—With the formal “declaration of liberation” by Libya’s interim leaders on October 22, the enormous task of building a democratic and just society, and an economy that delivers decent work and economic security for Libyans and foreign workers alike, can begin. The interim authorities, and the international community, bear a heavy responsibility to ensure that the legitimate aspirations of the people are fully realized, in line with international standards and the rule of law.
A New Arab Democratic Trade Union Forum: For Freedom, Social Justice, and Dignity. September 19, 2011—On September 16, 2011, 15 Arab trade union organizations from 10 countries founded in Amman, Jordan, a new Forum to promote the fundamental values of democratic and independent trade unionism and to increase regional union solidarity and unity. The founding union organizations are from Bahrain (GFBTU); Egypt (EFITU); Iraq (GFIW); Kuwait (KTUF); Libya (Free Libyan Workers’ Federation, FLWF); Mauritania (CLTM, CNTM, UTM); Morocco (CDT, CGTM, UMT); Palestine (PGFTU); Tunisia (UGTT); and Yemen (GFYWTU).
Executive Council Praises Middle East Workers Fighting for Freedom. August 4, 2011—The AFL-CIO Executive Council today praised the role workers and independent trade unions are playing in the popular mobilizations against corrupt, oppressive regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, and throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
ITUC Calls on Syria to Stop State-Organized Mass Murders. August 4, 2011—“For nearly five months, the Assad regime has been massacring its own population and in recent days the massive military assault in several cities is a horrifying confirmation of the total illegitimacy of this regime and its denial of any tiny bit of humanity”, said Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). “The ITUC welcomes the UN Security Council’s statement condemning human rights violations and the use of force against civilians. The ITUC urges the international community to take action now to ensure that more peaceful protestors and other civilians are not killed. Concerted international action is needed now, in coming hours. As each hour passes, the results are more violence, repression, and deaths.”
North Africa Blog: The Inspiration of Exchange. June 27, 2011—For three U.S. trade unionists undertaking a 10-day learning and outreach tour to the Middle East and North Africa, meeting workers on the front lines of change has been inspirational.
Bahrain: Unions Call for Reinstatement of Sacked Workers and End to Anti-Union Attacks. July 5, 2011—In an interview published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) today, senior Bahraini trade union officials have called for the reinstatement of some 2,000 workers sacked for supporting the country’s pro-democracy movement, as well as an end to violent attacks on trade unions. Ebrahim H Abdulla and Abdulla M Hussain of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) explain in the interview why the unions are taking part in the “national dialogue” launched by the authorities following the suspension of a state of emergency on July 1.
Unions around the World Celebrate Release of Iranian Union Leader. June9, 2011—Mansour Osanloo, president of the Vahed Syndicate in Tehran, was released from Evin Prison nearly four years after his arrest and conviction on charges of “acting against national security” and “propaganda against the state.” In reality, says the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), his only offense was to help found a genuinely democratic trade union.
Promoting Democracy in the Arab Region Is Also about Defending Migrants. April 1, 2011—From Libya to Bahrain, migrant workers have been caught hostage in the whirlwind of the popular uprisings in the Arab world. All too often exploited and denied their rights, they are today the direct or indirect victims of the repressive policies imposed in response to the wave of hope for change sweeping the region. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is calling for urgent international solidarity and a long-term response based on migrants’ rights and development aid for their countries of origin.
ITUC on Middle East/Maghreb: "End Repression!" February 21, 2011—"At this truly historic moment, the international trade union movement expresses its support for the legitimate aspirations of the region’s people for greater democracy and social justice," says International Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Sharan Burrow. "Those in power must stop responding with repression and listen, once and for all, to their peoples’ demands."
Iraqi Workers Need Your Help. Iraqi workers across the country have faced harassment, threats and even criminal charges for forming unions despite their hopes for democracy. The Solidarity Center requests your support for Iraqi union leaders in their struggle for bargaining and other workplace rights.
After 16 Days, Egyptian Workers End Sit-In. On February 23, 2010, the workers of the Tanta Linen, Flax and Oil Company ended their 16 day sit-in in front of the Egyptian Cabinet after an agreement with Minister of Manpower and Migration was reached. The workers were demanding the reinstatement of several workers who have been fired, an increase in their meal allowance, and payment of back wages and bonuses that they are owed.
Delegation of Palestinian Trade Unionists Visits Solidarity Center. From February 20 through March 1, 2010, the Solidarity Center and the AFL-CIO hosted a delegation from the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions for an important exchange on trade union rights and union organizing, public policy advocacy, and unemployment and economic development, as well as to help foster ties between U.S. and Palestinian workers and strengthen global labor contributions to peace building in the region.
AFL-CIO protests "illegal" charge against Iraqi oil union local president (5/28/2009). Read letter from President John Sweeney in English and Arabic.
Kuwaiti and U.S. Union Leaders Strategize on Common Challenges. In May 2008, a four-member U.S. labor delegation traveled to Kuwait on a Solidarity Center exchange visit. On the delegation were Michigan State AFL-CIO President Mark Gaffney, Georgia State AFL-CIO Vice President and CWA Local 3204 President Walter D. Andrews, Office and Professional Employees International Union Organization and Field Services Director Kevin A. Kistler, and Solidarity Center Program Officer Tom Egan.
History Made as Egyptian Public Workers Form First Independent Union. In a historic move for the Egyptian labor movement, the 270,000-member Real Estate Tax Authority Union will become Egypt’s first independent union, reports the Center for Trade Union and Worker Services, a Solidarity Center partner.
Iraqi Women Unionists Join Their Turkish Sisters for Historic International Women's Day. For the first time ever, Iraqi women unionists visited Turkey to celebrate International Women’s Day with their Turkish sisters.
Solidarity Center partners with Qatar National Human Rights Committee, signing historic agreement outlining the framework for a joint 2009-2010 program in Qatar.
Education for Change: Sowing the Seeds of Solidarity. Solidarity Center hosts a seven-member delegation of women union educators from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, and Yemen.
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