Egypt: Morsi’s Policies to Blame For Deepening Crisis
Brussels, 1 July 2013 (ITUC OnLine): Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s deeply partisan social and economic policies
are at the root of the huge wave of popular discontent in Egypt, with more than 20 million people taking to the streets
in recent days, calling for his replacement. Seven people are known to have been killed in demonstrations and several
hundred injured. The independent trade union movement, at the forefront of the reform movement, has attacked Morsi’s
record of suppression of workers’ rights, failure to address deepening poverty and social exclusion, and
crony-capitalist favouritism of supporters within his Brotherhood support base.
“Egypt has not only experienced two lost years since the former dictator Mubarak was thrown out – major parts of the
population are now experiencing unprecedented levels of poverty and exclusion and the promise of democratic transition
and human rights is being betrayed. President Morsi is seen by tens of millions of Egyptians as serving only the
interests of his own support base, a situation which is totally unsustainable,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan
Burrow.
Actions by independent unions to support pay rises for workers on poverty wages been routinely met with violence and
dismissal of union supporters in recent months, women are being subjected to unprecedented levels of violence, and media
are facing suppression. Promises to bring Egypt’s labour laws into line with ILO standards, particularly on freedom of
association, have been discarded by the government.
“President Morsi is now calling for dialogue, but the call rings hollow given the autocratic way he has wielded power in
the past year. His policy of confrontation and exclusion has caused a deep national crisis, and the popular demand for
his replacement is easy to understand,” said Burrow.
In a new special report “A Revolution Betrayed”, Equal Times has revealed disturbing evidence of detention and torture
of street children by the Egyptian authorities, in addition to detailing violations of workers’ rights, women’s rights
and freedom of speech.
ENDS