Public sector workers clash with army in first day of sit-in at State Council
Ahram Online , Tuesday 3 Apr 2012
After clashes broke out between workers and military police at Egypt's State Council on Monday over an appeals case for the re-privatisation of factories, dozens of workers and their families stage a sit-in



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Dozens of workers filled the inner halls of Egypt's State Council building on Tuesday, marking the second day of their open-ended sit-in after clashes broke out between military police forces and a number of workers on Monday.

A court hearing was held on Monday to examine the appeal presented to the State Council by the government of the former prime minister Essam Sharaf and a number of investors, to reverse the renationalisation of four factories.

The factories were renationalised in September last year in a decision that was hailed as a landmark victory by workers who lost their jobs as a result of the companies' original privatisation.

The workers from Shibin El-Kom, Nile Cotton Ginning, Omar Effendi and Tanta Flax and Oil staged a sit-in with some of their families after several workers were beaten by the military police and denied entry to the court room.

Earlier in the day, the judge called on the army to interfere to bring order to the court room.

The workers also announced their reason for protesting is to oppose the unjust manner in which the government is dealing with them, in addition to the arbitrary manner in which the case is being filed against them.

Labour lawyer and presidential hopeful Khaled Ali, who is defending the workers and presented his arguments on Monday, joined the workers at their sit-in.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/38372.aspx