The following news article could be almost surrealistically funny all the way from beginning to end, if what it reveals wasn't also so pathetic and treasonous to the costly struggle being waged in Egypt by the working class for real justice and democracy in government. The two or three paragraphs about the discussions held between Egypt's business associations and the new prime minister and ministries of Manpower, Trade and Industry and Finance and Planning, pertaining to labor in particular, really show where this new regime really stands. The business establishment has not only received assurances that as a class their interests remain the highest priorities of the regime, but also that even any minimum wage increases considerations will not take place without their input. Even though independent unions can now be formed (which the prime minister as an ex oppressed engineer feels is a great thing), the regime is still going to force the envelope against strikes recognizing they affect Egypt's international business climate negatively and hinder national productivity. To make matters worse, on the political front, Albaradei, a devout neoliberal, has now decided to rebrand himself as a socialist democrat...With the true left in shambles and the upper middle class children who feel own this movement still as confused as always about their class allegiances, many in Egypt's liberal intelligentsia community are considering supporting the presidential candidacy of this puppet who, in his tenure as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency was complicit in his silence with the deceptive justifications fabricated by the US for the Iraq invasion. Egypt's FB revolutionaries have nothing left to offer. The only hope left are the emerging forces trying to form a legitimate worker/peasants socialist movement. The rest is a bourgeois fantasy. The historical class enemies of the workers have yet again emerged, now in Egypt, as self-proclaimed leaders of a quickly fading and betrayed revolution that was never theirs in the first place. It is now up to the Egyptian working class and peasantry to self organize and lead Egypt in earnest into a real revolution, OUTSIDE of tweeter wetdreams this time...It is that or nothing. Socialism or capitulation... Egypt to continue free market economy rule, ensure social justice |
By Amr Ramadan / Daily News Egypt
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March 14, 2011, 10:54 pm
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| Essam Sharaf |
CAIRO: Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said Sunday Egypt will continue to be a free market economy, but that this will be accompanied by policies that achieve social justice and welfare.
After the Egyptian government announced wage reform plans
and allowed independent workers’ unions to form in light of an all out assault
on businessmen by the media, many feel uncertain about the economic direction
the country is headed in the wake of the revolution.
However, these fears may be quelled by Sharaf’s
announcement.
Sharaf met with delegations of businessmen from the Egyptian
Businessmen Association (EBA) and the Egyptian Junior Businessmen Association
(EJBA) to discuss how the revolution has changed the economic future of the
country and ways to overcome the obstacles posed by political uncertainty,
increased bureaucracy and rampant corruption that impede investment and
economic wellbeing.
The meeting was also attended by the Ministers of Manpower,
Trade and Industry, Finance and Planning.
Hussein Sabbour, chairman of the EBA, told Daily News Egypt
he was optimistic after the meeting and that the ministers had agreed to most
of their requests.
“I really felt that the Prime Minister and the ministers
present understood our concerns and were ready to take action,” he said.
Amer Elwy, executive director of EJBA, which according to
him has 650 members with 350,000 employees, was also optimistic.
“Since the meeting we have been extremely optimistic and we
have seen actions taken in the last 24 hours, the optimism comes from the
positive response from the government and their ministries, which are very
hands on and proactive,” he said.
Sharaf assured the businessmen that the sense of security in
the country, which they had called for, can be achieved quickly through the
efforts of the armed forces and the police, but it will be achieved in the long
term by ensuring social justice.
According to Sabbour and Elwy, security was the top priority
for both delegations whose demands were mostly similar.
Sharaf also agreed with them that the fight against
corruption should start immediately but should not tarnish the image of the
businessmen which was another major concern for both delegations.
“If we open any newspaper, we find half of the articles
about corruption of businessmen,” Sabbour said.
“That can’t be all our focus. There are corrupt businessmen,
and there are businessmen who have added value to the community by creating
jobs and attracting investments. These cannot be dealt with equally as most of
the media is doing now,” he added.
According to Elwy, the EJBA suggested that the government
coordinate community awareness campaigns about the importance of the role of
the businesses in the community and the rights and duties of the stakeholders
in terms of workers and employers.
EJBA also asked for the protection of businessmen whose
names are being mentioned in the papers, until they are proven guilty.
The ongoing workers’ protests were also another main concern
for both parties. The Minister of Labor was asked to suspend negotiations with
workers who are leading to a halt in production.
While both Sabbour and Elwy said the workers had the right
to protest, they claimed that this was detrimental to the economy and so called
on the protests to stop.
However, Sabbour said that the government’s decision Sunday
to allow the formation of independent workers’ unions and syndicates and
offering them capacity building and training was a positive step for businesses
as it would facilitate the negotiation process, eventually leading to a
resumption of production.
“Freedom to form unions and create syndicates should be
above all else, and I am personally happy about this because I did not like the
State Security involvement in the Engineers’ Syndicate which I am a part of,”
he said.
A large part of the meeting was dedicated to address the
deteriorating business climate in Egypt.
“We suggested that the government take into account a very
useful study about the business climate in Egypt and the necessary solutions
which was prepared by the EBA and presented to the previous government and was
clearly put on the shelf, but Prime Minister Sharaf was prepared to look into
it,” Sabbour said.
The EJBA gave detailed suggestions on facilitating issues
regarding small and medium businesses which they represent.
It suggested financing for small and medium-sized exporters,
tax incentives for projects that start or plan to expand in 2011, facilitating
the granting of licenses for operation of factories, continuing export
subsidies and private sector involvement and consultation in any government
decision which affects the private sector, such as minimum wage and succession
in addition to many other policies and strategies.
According to Elwy, these were all taken into account by the
relevant ministries.
“We already had a meeting with the Minister of Manpower and
plan to meet with the Minister of Trade and Industry soon. This would have
never happened with this speed before,” he added.
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