The Egyptian Trade Union Federation released a statement on Monday affirming its support for President Mohamed Morsy’s recent constitutional decree. The statement was released after an urgent meeting was held by the representatives of different trade unions operating within the federation.
The statement released by the federation said what is happening in Egypt is not a conspiracy to disrupt the democratic process.
“We therefore support and welcome the new constitutional decree by the legitimate elected president,” the statement read.
Not every member of the federation supported the statement however. The Head of the General Syndicate for Construction Workers and the Deputy Secretary General of the General Union of Egyptian Workers Syndicate, Abdel Monein El-Gamel, said he is completely against Morsy’s decree. “The president has given himself powers equal to that of a king,” Monein El-Gamel said. This decision, according to him, is against everything the people fought for during the revolution.
Monein El-Gamel said that the views held by syndicates represented within the Federation are varied and, due to each union’s specific interests, members could be found both in pro- and anti-Morsy protests. “Every syndicate has a different agenda and background,” he said, “and in turn every member has their own demands.” He stressed that the statement does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions held by every member or syndicate within the state-run federation.
The federation praised judges and their refusal to strike in protest, “putting the interest of the nation above all else,” while also condemning “those who are demanding foreign intervention and are taking the path of violence and bloodshed.”
The statement was signed by the heads and representatives of all the syndicates present during the meeting, which included Fayez Hammouda, president of the Workers’ Union, and Abdul Maged, the head of the Teachers’ Union.
