NewsLab

(Picture taken by Hamdy Abdel Sayed, Al-Badil Newspaper) 

This morning I got an email from a friend with a forwarded message:

“Strike on the 6th of April”.

I was surprised by this message, as my friend was never a human rights’ or a political activist, and she was keen to send it to me though.
The message counted a lot and made me think about those people who were obliged to be involved in political currents in order to express their sufferings.

During the last period, inflation became very persistent and prices level increases on a weekly basis.

Attending a Marketer Survey, last week, on Egyptian people from different samples (single, married, men, women etc…) most of them were terrified to think about the future, as they were not secured about how they will survive the prices increase.

Coming to work this morning, I tried to see how ordinary people will react towards this call for a strike called “the Egyptian people Intifada”; I told the taxi driver about it. He just told me, that it wouldn’t work, nobody will participate and if he tries to tell people around him about it, they will think that he is a “terrorist”! he added: “imagine the Prime Minister spoke about the price increase of cheese and chicken, as if we eat them, we just need to eat bread and beans….”
It is worth mentioning that one peace of bread reached 30 piasters (1 Egyptian pound = 100 piasters, 1 USD = 5,47 LE) and its size decreaes everyday; and an average salary of 300LE/ month (i.e. less than 60 USD/ month) for State workers.

Last week witnessed a demonstration, organized by the Egyptian Medical Syndicate and led by Dr. Hamdy Al Sayed, Head of the syndicate, against low salaries. A State generalist reaches 180 LE after graduation and 500 LE after 20 years of service. In a move by the State to prevent this kind of demonstrations, a doctor informed that all doctors who were absent during that day, in order to participate in the demonstration, or even in vacation, were reported and will be subject to punishment.

After a meeting held and represented by Egyptian people forces: Ghazl Al-Mahala workers (who are striking since last year expressing their demands to increase their wages to be in line with price hikes, their strikes were followed by a series of strikes by many working sectors in Egypt); Al-Karama Party; Al-Wasat Party; Labor Party; Kefaya Movement; the Bar Association; Educational Workers Movement; Grain Mills Workers; they expect a positive response regarding Moslem Brothers’ participation and support in the strike.

The slogan of this campaign became wider than just asking for better wages, whereas it included the “Political Change”: they cited in their paper, it is against the tyranny of the regime. The campaign is also against the regime’s foreign policy represented in Egypt’s position towards Gaza and the Palestinian cause; exporting natural gas to Israel with the lowest prices; strictly abiding by Camp David Accords; and opposing Iraqi, Lebanese and Afghani resistance.

The invitation called the Egyptian people to stay home on the 6th of April, to wait during the day for the place and time of demonstrations in the different cities of Egypt.  The strike shall start from 7 am until 7 pm.

The translation of the invitation is as follows:

“All national forces in Egypt have agreed upon the 6th of April to be a public strike.
On the 6th of April, stay home, do not go out;
Don’t go to work, don’t go to the university, don’t go to school, don’t open your shop, don’t open your pharmacy, don’t go to the police station, don’t go to the camp;
We need salaries allowing us to live, we need to work, we want our children to get education, we need human transportation means, we want hospitals to get treatment, we want medicines for our children, we need just judiciary, we want security, we want freedom and dignity, we want apartments for youth;
We don’t want prices increase, we don’t want favoritism, we don’t want police in plain clothes, we don’t want torture in police stations, we don’t want corruption, we don’t want bribes, we don’t want detentions.
Tell your friends not to go to work and ask them to join the strike.”

The paper is signed by the above mentioned groups, syndicates and parties. It is sent to everybody through emails, blogs and Facebook.

We don’t know what will happen on the 6th of April. Will they really do what they want to do? Will they realize their demands? Will they be arrested? Will it be violent or peaceful? Or as usual Egyptian people will go on with their normal lives, going to work, going to school, going to the university and try to coop with their fate: being Egyptians.

N.B.: For more information please contact: egyptian.strike@yahoo.com