Misr Spinning and Weaving Company
Large protests and strikes at Misr Spinning and Weaving since 2006 contributed to the collapse of the Mubarak government, the 2011 Egyptian revolution, and the Arab Spring more generally.
[4] Misr Helwan was largely staffed by workers from peasant backgrounds, many of whom worked temporarily to save and return money to their families.
[2] In 1976, the United States Agency for International Development contributed $96 million in loans to the Egyptian government, intended to help further modernize the Misr company.
[7] In the 1990s, solar heat increasingly used in dye and bleaching saved the textile company 11,000 barrels of oil annually, according to Egypt's New and Renewable Energy Authority.
[10] In 2005, it employed 26,000 workers, and company facilities included 8 spinning mills, 10 weaving factories, processing units and labs, and recreational centers.
[2] The earliest efforts to unionize Misr Helwan workers were led by the radical Abbas Halim, a member of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and veteran of the German and Turkish armies during the First World War.
[3] While these efforts failed, Misr Helwan workers nevertheless organized strike activities themselves, demanding in July 1938 that they be granted eight-hour workdays, and in 1947 that they work under more lenient disciplinary rules.
In May 1975, workers from Misr Helwan, still the Middle East's largest spinning and weaving plant, demonstrated against high costs of living.
[16] Between 1986 and 1988, workers struck demanding an increase in wages from $26 to $30 monthly, and placed an image of Mubarak in a coffin outside the factory walls; government response was severe.
Workers decided to return to strikes in December after Misr Helwan reported over $30 million in profits, while giving only 20 days bonus pay, less than agreed upon under any condition.
[21] Government security forces surrounded and confined striking workers with their families, and arrested 5-8 trade unionists, accusing them of "unlawful gathering" and "destruction of public properties.
[23] Faced with municipal elections largely ignored by the population of Mahalla and still rising food prices, Misr Helwan workers promised to strike on 6 April 2008, demanding higher pay.
[24][25] but police response including arrests, occupation of Misr Helwan facilities and intimidation initially prevented them from doing so;[26] a strike would have been illegal unless sanctioned by the ruling National Democratic Party.
[26] Nevertheless, Misr Halwan workers and others throughout El-Mahalla El-Kubra fought with police, set fire to schools, cars and tires, destroyed a portrait of Hosni Mubarak, and stormed the city hall.
[28] The Egyptian government offered concessions to Misr Helwan workers of 30 days bonus pay, and sent prime minister Ahmed Nazif to negotiate with them.
[29] Later released by Egyptian authorities, el-Beheiri and fellow Misr Helwan workers Tarek Amin and Kamal al-Fayoumy told the Agence France Presse that they had been subjected to beatings, electric shocks and starvation during their 76 days of confinement.
[33] After the fall of Mubarak's government, Misr Helwan workers briefly ceased but then continued strike action, demanding higher wages.
[37] The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces threatened strikers, declaring that the military "will not allow the continuation of these illegal acts which pose a danger to the nation, and they will confront them.".
In February 2014, 13,000 Misr Helwan workers, some earning only 500 EGP per month, began a sit-down strike demanding the implementation of minimum wages.
[49] In April Egypt's Higher Administrative Court ruled that public sector employees who strike can be prosecuted, prompting clashes between Misr Helwan workers and Egyptian security forces.
"[51] A labor rights director in Egypt stated that the Egyptian government canceled bonuses in an effort to reduce pay to all public sector employees except those in the Interior Ministry, armed forces, judiciary and banks.
[36] Writing for The Majalla, Paula Mejia has written that Misr Helwan's strikes "not only voiced the grievances of many Egyptians, but they also provided them with a solution: collective action for government response.
"[57] Misr Helwan workers considered themselves to be at the vanguard of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, and continued to fight for improved working conditions after Mubarak's fall.
[58] The World Socialist Web Site has argued that the strike called by Misr Helwan workers in the early days of February 2011 prevented further compromise between government and opposition groups, contributing to Mubarak's departure.
