Egyptian Labor Unions Lead the Way By DAVID MACARAY

"The Largest Social Movement in the Arab World Since World War II"

Let’s give Egypt’s labor unions some credit.  According to a report presented at a symposium hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in February, 2010, there have been more than 3,000 labor protests by Egyptian workers since 2004.  That’s an astounding number. The report declared that this figure “[dwarfs]  Egyptian political protests in both scale and consequence.”

Arguably, the case can be made that Egypt’s current political unrest was inspired and energized by the actions of the country’s labor movement—just as the case can be made that the massive street protests of America’s union workers provided the template for the anti-war protests during the Vietnam war.  Joel Beinin, a Stanford University professor, referred to Egypt’s labor activism as “….the largest social movement in the Arab world since World War II.”

While there are definitely many similarities between labor unions all around the world, it’s difficult and even counterproductive to try and compare, much less equate them.  There are simply too many cultural and political forces at work to draw any meaningful conclusions.

For instance, the largest labor union in the world—the ACFTU (All-China Federation of Trade Unions), with a staggering 134 million members—isn’t even a real labor union, at least not in the sense that the UAW or Teamsters are real unions.  There’s simply too much government control to compare it to an American or European union.

Although significant improvements in workers’ rights have been made in China—especially since 2000—the ACFTU is still a tool of the government.  Chinese workers are very cautious and deliberate in how they behave.  You can sum up labor’s role in China in one sentence:  The ACFTU has as much freedom and autonomy as the Chinese government is willing to give it at any point in time  No more, no less.

Mexico is another example of how difficult it is to make broad generalizations.  While some of Mexico’s unions are the toughest, boldest, most hardcore found anywhere in the world (when these guys go on strike, they lock the doors and occupy the premises!), others are little more than government-run lackeys, weak and corrupt.  Moreover, unlike the U.S., you have to apply to be recognized as a union in Mexico, which leaves many well-meaning worker collectives out in the cold.

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