Last November, the Egyptian Government prohibited the import and manufacture of all types of asbestos and asbestos materials.

From 1983 when production of asbestos-cement water pipes began at the Ura-Misr factory until 1997, no measures had been taken to protect workers from hazardous exposures inside the premises, no attempts had been made to curtail dumping of asbestos waste and no site visits had been conducted by factory inspectors.

In 2002, the Government set safety measures for working with asbestos, and closed the Ura-Misr  factory pending their implementation. Refusing to comply with most of the requirements, Ahmed Abdel Aziz Lokma, the billionaire owner of Ura-Egypt and other industrial and commercial companies in Egypt, managed to recommence asbestos manufacturing at the plant. The factory was closed once more for failing to introduce measures to curtail hazardous asbestos exposures in January, 2004. Soon after the closure, Lokma stopped payment of all wages.

The Ura-Egypt workers and their trade union committee issued calls for solidarity.

• To act and for more information
• Letter of John Monks (ETUC General Secretary) to the the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt [FR]
  Summary in English