Egyptian
universities will witness on Sunday, March 23rd, a complete strike staged by
professors in protest of their low salaries and demanding proper raises to be
in line with a decent living of university staff.
The strike committee- composed of the teaching staff members nationwide-
defined several mechanisms to be adopted by the professors in the strike, the
most prominent of which is that every teaching staff member will participate
in the strike in his/her office from the morning, so that the strikers meet in
every university at 1.00PM to stage a protest vigil in front of buildings of
their university administrations.
The committee announced
that the strike will extend to all public universities, across the country.
Professors will refrain from teaching for that day and will wear a pin
supporting the strike.
In hospitals, strike will be limited to wearing pins and hanging stickers on office
doors and labs supporting the strike, so that patients’ care will not be
interrupted.
The committee called on all teaching staff members of all Egyptian
universities to take part in the strike and to report any threats that they
may face. It confirmed that it decided to taking the necessary legal
procedures to confront any possible threats, starting with the attendance of a
number of lawyers with professors who may be referred to any disciplinary
board and even resorting to the International Federation of Universities.
In the same context, university students issued statements in which they
expressed their solidarity with university professors in their demands. They
stressed that the professors’ strike will not have any negative impact on them,
dismissing claims of university presidents.
Yahya Al Gazzaz, a professor at Helwan University and an organizer of the
strike, confirmed to Ikhwanweb that he does not expect any security
intervention in this peaceful strike which will not get outside university
campuses. However, he didn't deny that pressures may be exercised on the
university professors through threats or temptation.
Asked how far this strike will address demands of the university professors,
Al Gazzaz confirmed that university professors" mere approval on participating
in this strike is a success in itself. He added that university professors
are known for pacifism and conservatism, however, accepting to take part in a
strike is in itself an unprecedented success. The real success isn't to get
everything you want but to take a step on the path. We- university professors-
insist on carrying out this strike.
Al Gazzaz confirmed also that this strike is only a step towards realizing
their demands to be followed by more future steps which may be stronger.
On the other hand, the Egyptian Doctors Syndicate decided to postpone its
planned strike to April 23rd, in the emergency general assembly meeting held
on Friday March 21st, under the slogan "No Concession on Special Cadre". The
general assembly renewed its confidence in the board of the general syndicate,
and it authorized it along with subsidiary syndicates to negotiate with the
government over the special cadre (a new financial degree).
The general assembly decided also to retain proceedings which were approved in
previous emergency general assemblies, and follow-up negotiations with
government around issuing over issuing a law for the special cadre for doctors
to improve their financial and administrative conditions. It also urged
subsidiary syndicates to organize a general protest day April 23rd, 2008.
