Egypt's labour movement could regain momentum despite strike ban

“No celebrations on Labour Day so long as we continue to live in worry,” chanted workers at the Torah cement factory earlier this week in one of several recent strikes signalling a possible return to the organised labour movement that was at the heart of Egypt’s 2011 revolution.

However, labour organisers fear a crackdown is looming following a final verdict by a high level court banning strikes by civil servants.

“As none of the workers’ problems have been solved, protests are regaining momentum, despite slowing last year,” Fatma Ramadan, a labour activist, told Ahram Online.

The first three months of this year saw more than 300 protests by workers in factories, teachers, healthcare employees, drivers and others, according to data compiled by local NGO Democracy Meter.