The Role of Worker Organizations in Developing Grassroots Democracy: The Egyptian Case

Mohammad Ali

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DOI: 10.2190/WR.16.2.f

Abstract

Unions through their representative processes and practice of collective bargaining rights not only create a voice for employees within companies but also enhance democratic attitudes in the society. In the context of the 2010 Tahrir Square movement in Egypt, this article attempts to observe and report the role of unions and non-union worker organizations in developing grass-roots democracy and general awareness of rights in Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian, nonegalitarian, and undemocratic regime. The article finds that Egyptian worker organizations have long been part of the economic, social, and political fabric of Egyptian society. Due to this profound involvement, Egyptian worker organizations became the vanguard in expressing social and political malcontent. In conclusion, the article argues that to secure a democratic and somewhat liberal future for Egypt there is a need to further aid the development of unions, improve their organizing capacities, and train them in democratic institutional principles.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.