The head of Egypt’s first independent trade union, Kamal Abu Eita, was questioned by a prosecutor yesterday and could face charges “of disseminating false information and defaming the reputation of the country’s state-controlled union leaders”.

Abu Eita was one of the founders of the independent General Union of Real Estate Tax Authority Employees. Almasry Alyoum newspaper says: 

The charges against Abu Eita stem from accusations levelled by Farouq Shehata, head of the state-controlled General Union for Banking and Insurance Employees. Abu Eita’s union was essentially formed to compete with Shehata’s union after the latter refused to support a national strike by the tax collectors in 2007, and Abu Eita claims that 37,000 of the 42,000 tax collectors under the state-run union have already switched sides.

The battle is mainly about recognition of independent unions. In most Arab countries (or at least, those that allow unions at all) they are controlled by the government. 

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 9 September 2009.