24 May, 2013On 24 April a new trade union center saw the light in Egypt. The Egyptian Democratic Labour Congress (EDLC) will represent workers’ interests in all the sectors of economy.
The process of creation of the new organization started in October 2012 when more than 100 independent unions of Egypt gathered to announce the initiative of uniting their strength in a single congress.
The solemn event took place in the capital city of Cairo, where the representatives of more than 186 independent unions have gathered together with hundreds of workers from Mahala Al Kobra, the portent of the Egyptian revolution, Helwan, the castle of Egyptian industry Tenth of Ramadan city, Sadat City, Alexandria, Suez Canal cities, and Upper Egypt.
The newly formed congress is based on democratic principles and is governed by the general assembly and the elected leadership.
Before the election candidates were given the floor to introduce themselves to the general assembly. Then through the direct secret ballot delegates elected Youssry Al Sayed Marouf from Alex Containers Co. as President and Saad Shabaan Eid from Al Shima Garments Co. General Secretary of the EDCL.
The event was attended by numerous international guests representing political parties, non-governmental organizations, national and global trade union federations including among others IndustriALL Global Union and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), who proposed to EDCL to join large family of ITUC members.
Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL commented on the event, “This is an important landmark on the road to strong independent trade unions in Egypt. As Egypt is a priority for IndustriALL Global Union we look forward to working closely with all progressive trade union voices in the country.”