Official trade union federation rejects decision to disband it

An emergency assembly of the dissolved Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) on Sunday rejected a cabinet decision on Thursday to disband the federation and decided to file a lawsuit to have the decision reversed.

The state-controlled federation was Egypt’s sole trade union federation for over 50 years.

The assembly of the ETUF accused Minister of Manpower Ahmed al-Borai of conniving to dissolve the federation for personal reasons. It also criticized Interior Minister Mansour al-Essawy for cordoning off the federation’s premises and banning entry of its members.

Borai requested Central Bank Governor Farouk al-Oqda to freeze the federation’s bank accounts.

More than a hundred members of the federation staged protests outside the building, claiming the disbandment was illegal, as it must occur by court order or by the assembly itself. The assembly also called on support from international trade unions.