CTUWS wins The Human Rights Prize of the French Republic "Liberty – Equality – Fraternity”.
In November 1999, the General Commissioner for Human Rights announced the winning of the Centre for Trade Union and Workers Services CTUWS of The Human Rights Prize of the French Republic "Liberty – Equality – Fraternity” as the first labor organization to win this award. The news have been received joyously by workers and labour activists who sent numerous congratulatory messages and hung congratulations banners in factories and different working sites.
A number of human rights organizations posted paid congratulatory advertisements in newspapers, while some columnists wrote praising the winning of the center. On the other side, the official federation, Egyptian Trade Union Federation ETUF condemned the winning of CTUWS the prize, and published several articles in which it attacked CTUWS. Moreover ETUF sent condemnation letters to the French embassy in Cairo, the Egyptian foreign minister and the Prime Minister of France demanding to stop awarding CTUWS the prize, because ETUF is the sole representative of Egyptian workers!!
However, Kamal Abbas, CTUWS general coordinator, traveled to France, on 7 Dec 1999 to receive the award from the Prime Minister of France.
Upon arrival he had been greeted by several trade unions in France. He also visited the Confédération générale du travail (CGT)and Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail (CFDT).
He spoke at several press conferences and television shows, in which he focused on the situation of Egyptian workers, human rights organizations and the restrictions imposed on them. He also attacked the new Associations Law due to its restrictions on the movement of non-governmental organizations, and how it imposes the governmental guardianship on the NGOs.
On 09 Dec1999 the Prime Minister of France, presented the award at the Louvre in Paris in a ceremony that was attended by number of French ministers, ambassadors assigned to France, with the exception of the Egyptian ambassador, political leaders, and representatives from political parties, trade unions, civil society organizations in France.
On 28 Dec1999, CTUWS had held a ceremony to celebrate its winning of the prize at the Youth Center in West Helwan. This was the first event the government allowed to a civil society organizations to be held outside its headquarters. The CTUWS ceremony was attended by more than 1,200 workers from all labour sites (Helwan, Shoubra, Mahalla al-Kubra, tenth of Ramadan), number of opposition members in parliament, and unionists. The video of receiving the prize at the Louvre was screened, speeches were addressed to audience, and in the end of the ceremony there was a theatre performance.
Vedio of the Prize:
تسليم الجائزة الفرنسية لدار الخدمات النقابية 1999
