The Misr Spinning and Weaving Company (Arabic: ???? ?????????????? ?), also known as Misr Helwan or El-Ghazl factory , is a large publicly owned textile company located at El-Mahalla El-Kubra in the River Nile Delta Egypt, about 80 kilometers north of Cairo. The current chairman of the board is Mohamed Moheb Salah Elden. Egypt's largest industrial facility, Misr Helwan employs more than 25,000 workers, many of whom have played an active role in the Egyptian labor struggle. Major protests and strikes in Misr Helwan since 2006 contributed to the collapse of the Mubarak government, the 2011 Egyptian revolution, and the more general Arab Spring.
Video Misr Spinning and Weaving Company
Development
Pertumbuhan industri kapas Mesir
The Misr Spinning and Weaving Company was founded in 1927 by a group of Egyptian businessmen working with Misr Bank, facing Mahalla Tal'at Harb Square in El-Mahalla El-Kubra. The bank, which had been formed during the Egyptian uprising of 1920 and proclaimed itself as "Egyptian Bank for the Egyptians only," began providing capital for large-scale Egyptian industrial facilities and regarded Misr Spinning and Weaving as its flagship company. The Egyptian economist Talaat Harb was one of those who helped found the company. Misr Helwan is mostly run by workers from a farmer's background, many of whom work temporarily to save and return money to their families.
The long-staple cotton was discovered in Cairo in the 1820s, becoming the subject of the Egyptian economy of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Cotton production used 2.1 million hectares for planting after the Second World War and in 1980 represented the second largest export in Egypt, after crude oil. Cotton production in Egypt continued to decline after the post-World War II peak since fertile land was converted to cereal or clover production, and previous importers including India achieved self-sufficiency in cotton.
In 1960, Misr Helwan was the first company nationalized by Gamal Abdel Nasser. This began the diversity of sources of cotton and products, and in 1975 established a garment unit to complement its fabric factory. In 1976, the United States Agency for International Development donated $ 96 million in loans to the Egyptian government, intended to help modernize the Misr company even further. The loan caused controversy among American textile producers, faced with losses as the global textile market expanded.
In the 1990s, solar heat increasingly used in dye and bleaching saves textile companies 11,000 barrels of oil per year, according to New Energy and Renewable Energy Authorities of Egypt. Attempts for the person of Misr Helwan, and Misr Fine Spinning and Weaving in Kafr el-Dawwar, were blocked by strike action at both facilities.
Misr Helwan_in_the_21st_Century "> Misr Helwan in the 21st century
In 2004, the company employs 23,000 workers and exports 46,000 tons of cotton yarn, 150 million square meters of fabric, and 5 million garments per year. In 2005, it employs 26,000 workers, and its facilities include 8 spinning mills, 10 weaving mills, processing units and laboratories, and recreation centers. The company remains nationalized despite the large-scale liberalization of other Egyptian economic sectors. Following the global financial crisis in 2008, Misr Helwan suffered $ 21 million in debt, which Egyptian News News Service said could reduce up to $ 16 million in debt next year through debt settlement programs.
Misr Helwan currently sells about 70% of its production to the domestic market, with the remaining production being sold mainly to Europe.
Maps Misr Spinning and Weaving Company
Initial work struggle
The earliest attempt to unite Misr Helwan's workers was led by radical Abbas Halim, a member of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and a veteran of German and Turkish troops during the First World War. Despite these failed attempts, Misr Helwan's workers also organized their own strike activities, demanding in July 1938 that they were given eight hours of work, and in 1947 they worked under the softer disciplinary rules. During the 1947 strike, the Egyptian government took the tank to Mahalla, killing three workers and wounding 17 others. It was not until 1948 that workers reached eight hours a day, after the government commission responded to strike pressure. The strike was once again suppressed by troops under Nasser in August 1952.
Due to the low capital investment in the Egyptian textile industry, the proportion of textile workers in the Egyptian workforce began to decline in 1960, and the absolute number decreased in 1976. While wages initially increased after nationalization, wages began to decline in 1970 under Anwar al-Sadat. After structural adjustments mandated by the World Bank during the 1990s, Egyptian textile manufacturing wages declined sharply, making it the lowest of any textile producer on earth in the mid-2000s.
In May 1975, workers from Misr Helwan, still the largest spinning and weaving factory in the Middle East, rallied against the high cost of living. Many workers are veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War and expect better care following their services in the Egyptian army. On May 21 Egyptian security forces killed a protester, wounded another, and arrested 40-50; Police asked two agricultural engineers who they suspected had incited workers to protest. Worker Misr Helwan earns $ 12.50 per week; Egyptian Interior Ministry officials claimed that workers had burned cotton deliveries and looted the houses of company executives. During this period, to organize work activities, workers Misr Helwan created a political organization of several hundred members called Fagr (Dawn), and published the essence of the same name.
In September 1984, a strike sitting at Misr Company over a government-mandated price increase and wage decline led to a general strike in El-Mahalla and surrounding towns. The strike forced Mubarak to return the cost of flat bread in the working-class districts to one cent, a subsidy that then weighs the government $ 400 million every year. Between 1986-1988, hit workers demanded a wage increase from $ 26 to $ 30 per month, and placed Mubarak's image in a coffin outside the factory wall; government response is very severe.
strike 2004-9
In 2003, Egypt passed an Integrated Manpower Act that effectively prohibits strikes, banning the actions of workers not authorized by the Egyptian Federation of Public Workers Federations, run by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). Workers at Misr Helwan have been hit several times before the fall of Mubarak's government.
Low wages and increased food costs led to strikes
A strike at Misr Helwan in December 2006 prompted a national strike centered on payments, living conditions, and market reforms. Workers in March 2006 have granted concessions to management who received 45 and not 60 day bonus payments, in return for profit sharing in the case of profits beyond approved thresholds. Workers decided to return to strike in December after Misr Helwan reported more than $ 30 million in profits, while providing only 20-day bonus payments, less than agreed in any condition. The December 2006 strike began when 3,000 female garment workers left their stations shouting "Here are the women! Where are the men?" encourage male workers to join them. Workers, initially surrounded and intercepted by security forces, joined 20,000 additional workers, elementary school students, and students from Mahalla, forcing the security forces to retreat. Workers then demanded impeachment of union officers.
From 2006-2007, while staple food prices increased by 48% and Misr Helwan reported a profit of $ 120, many Misr workers paid only $ 27 per month, with some paid as little as $ 18 per month. On September 23, 2007, about 20-27,000 workers from Misr broke down, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Workers and their families held a rally, threatening to create an independent government, and demanded the resignation of the Head of Holding Textile Company Mohsen al-Jilany, the chairman of Misr Helwan Mahmoud al-Gibali, and the dismissal of the syndicate board. They also denied any links with the Muslim Brotherhood and stated that implicit links are meant to represent their struggle for rights as a security risk. Government security forces surrounded and restricted striking workers with their families, and arrested 5-8 union members, accused them of "illegal gathering" and "the destruction of public property." According to government officials, police fear the strike will spread to major manufacturing centers across Egypt, as happened in 2006. Spokesman Misr Helwan stated that the company suffered a loss of $ 1.8 million on the first day of the strike. The company's management reportedly rejected negotiations with strikes in the early days of the strike, and Egyptian Labor Minister Aisha Abdel Hadi, along with the government-controlled General Government for Textile Workers, said the strike was illegal. The company then promised to meet many of the workers' demands, ending the strike after one week.
Failed to strike April 6, 2008
Faced with city elections largely ignored by Mahalla's population and rising food prices, Misr Helwan's workers promised to strike on April 6, 2008, demanding higher payouts. but police responses including arrests, the occupation of Misr Helwan's facilities and intimidation initially prevented them from doing so; strikes would be considered illegal unless approved by the ruling National Democratic Party. Nevertheless, workers Misr Halwan and others throughout El-Mahalla El-Kubra fought with police, burned schools, cars and tires, destroyed the portrait of Hosni Mubarak, and raided the town hall. 300 people were wounded in the first two days of the riots, and a young man was shot dead by police; two more later died as well. The Egyptian government offered concessions to Misr Helwan's workers from a 30-day bonus payment, and sent prime minister Ahmed Nazif to negotiate with them.
Among those arrested in the April strike were Kareem el-Beheiri, a worker of Misr Helwan and a previous strike organizer, whose arrests sparked fears and criticism from Reporters Without Borders. Then released by the Egyptian authorities, el-Beheiri and fellow workers Misr Helwan Tarek Amin and Kamal al-Fayoumy told Agence France Presse that they had experienced beatings, electric shocks and starvation during their 76 days of confinement. Police reportedly attempted to block the publication of working conditions and planned protests via Facebook blogs and groups, and arrested Ahmed Maher after he created the Facebook group "April 6" in favor of Misr Helwan worker.
In September 2009, 1,500 Misr Helwan workers who demanded unpaid wages went on strike and held company executives hostage.
Strikes during and after the Egyptian Revolution
The collapse of the Mubarak government
In February 2011, worker Misr Helwan closed the plant and broke down with solidarity with the protesters in Tahrir Square. After the fall of Mubarak's rule, Misr Helwan's workers briefly stopped but then went on strike, demanding higher wages. Workers also demanded the replacement of company officials, as Egypt's Supreme Council for the Armed Forces called on workers to return to work. With a tank stationed outside the company's main gate, workers are also calling for reform within the country's military.
Worker Misr Helwan also demanded the resignation from the leadership of the state-controlled Federation of Trade Unions of Egypt. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces threatened the strike, stating that the military "will not allow the continuation of illegal acts that pose a danger to the nation, and they will face them." After the threat, the military approved the strike demands and Misr Helwan's workers returned to the factory.
Next strike
On July 15, 2012, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, met with Egyptian Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, and praised the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for "representing the Egyptian people in the revolution." On the same day, 25,000 workers of the Misr Helwan on strike demanding increased profit sharing, retirement benefits are better, and the replacement of management. Some strike found not materially profitable revolution Misr Helwan workers, and would promote officials 'corrupt' as Fouad Abd-al-Alim. Misr workers to join workers from seven other textile factories in the region, and strikes also occurred among physicians and health workers, university workers, and workers in other parts of Egypt ceramics. The workers suspended their strike on July 24, after seeing only some of their demands were met, and promised to strike again in September unless there is a further concession.
Declaration of independence of the "Muslim Brotherhood"
Fierce clashes broke out in Mahalla on 27 November 2012 over the constitution put forward by the Muslim Brotherhood; some Misr Helwan workers who participated in the protests stated that they did not participate in the attack on the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. On December 7, demonstrators at El-Mahalla El-Kubra stormed the town hall and declared independence from the "Muslim Brotherhood". A worker of Misr Helwan, who was arrested on an earlier occasion by the Mubarak government, explained the workers' attitude toward the Muslim brotherhood:
The slogan of the revolution is "Justice, bread and freedom," but we do not get it. The government has just raised the electricity price by 15% while our wages are stagnant. They are now trying to impose a discriminatory constitution, written for and by Islamists. The Muslim Brotherhood does not represent me... they take with one hand what they pretend to give with others. They are even worse than Mubarak. "
Other protesters noted that Misr Helwan's workers could launch a general strike, slow or paralyze the national economy. One worker who spoke to Al-Ahram criticized the constitution, stating that chapter 14 links wages to production and not food prices. Voting in Mahalla is largely peaceful on election day.
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's Government
After the overthrow of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in an Egyptian coup in 2013, the Egyptian government passed a law raising the minimum wage to 1,200 EGP per month. In February 2014, 13,000 workers of Misr Helwan, some earning only 500 EGP per month, began a sit-down strike demanding the adoption of a minimum wage. Workers also demanded unpaid bonuses. In April Egypt's High Administrative Court ruled that striking public sector employees could be prosecuted, prompting clashes between workers Misr Helwan and Egyptian security forces. In June, the Sisi government called on workers to stop all strikes, and increase productivity. Some Misr Helwan workers claim that mismanagement has brought productivity up to 50% of capacity through failure to provide adequate feedstock for production. Employee Misr Helwan stated that their wages are still below the minimum wage.
In October 2015, Egyptian authorities declared that they would no longer provide unpaid and unpaid bonuses to employees, triggering another strike by 17,000 workers of Misr Helwan, who immediately joined workers in the industry. The bonus is meant to help inflation jump. Responding to the strike, Egyptian labor minister Gamal Sorour threatened the workers with a demand "against all efforts to hinder the work." A labor rights director in Egypt stated that the Egyptian government canceled bonuses in an effort to reduce salaries to all public sector employees except those in the Interior Ministry, the armed forces, the judiciary and the bank. According to other analysts, the Egyptian government allowed labor to shrink and lower payroll costs to privatize the company. When the workers ignored the ultimatum, the government announced it would give bonuses to some workers, but not to them at Misr Helwan, unless the company regained the lost profits in the strike. When workers remain on strike, the government promises to give bonuses to Misr Helwan's employees as well, ending the strike. But the company announced that it would cut 11 days' salary from pay in retaliation for the strike.
In 2015, the Egyptian Sumo wrestler and Misr Helwan employee, Ramy Abd El Aty Ibrahim Belalal-Gazzar, became Sumo's world wrestling champion at the annual US Sumo Open. Gazzar is a maintenance worker in the company and also trains his Judo team.
Significance
The Misr Spinning and Weaving Company is considered the largest Egyptian company and industrial facility; 48% of Egypt's economy involves the textile industry. Since its creation in 1927 and through successive stages of development and government, Misr Helwan has been regarded not only in the industrial development of Egypt but also of its political and labor activities. Al Jazeera called the plant "the microcosm of the Egyptian society."
Textile workers in Misr Helwan and at other facilities in Kafr el-Dawwar, Qalyub, Helwan, and Shubra al-Khayma played a leading role in Egyptian strikes around the world beginning in 1977, with liberalization backed by the Egyptian government against the Egyptian economy. Against national trends, workers in Misr Helwan rejected privatizations in Mahalla and encouraged workers in other public facilities to do the same.
The company's failed strike April 6, 2008 inspired the April 6th Egyptian Youth Movement which ultimately played an important role in the Egyptian Arab Spring and the collapse of Mubarak's government. Writing for The Majalla , Paula Mejia has written that Misr Helwan's strike "not only voiced the complaints of many Egyptians, but they also gave them a solution: collective action for the government's response."
Workers Misr Helwan consider themselves to be at the forefront of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, and continue to struggle to improve working conditions after Mubarak's fall. The World Socialist Website argues that a strike by Misr Helwan's workers in the early days of February 2011 prevented further compromise between the government and opposition groups, which contributed to Mubarak's departure.
See also
- El-Mahalla El-Kubra
- Arab Spring
- April 6 Youth Movement
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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