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Published: September 14th 2011
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So, I wasn't planning on writing a blog so soon, at least until after this weekend, but something is happening on AUC's campus, and I feel the need to share it with you all!
Last week, which was my first week of classes here, I noticed people were passing out and putting up flyers everywhere. The flyers had a raised fist and the word Strike was clearly visible. Now back on my campus in America, I probably would have taken the time to read this more carefully, but since I was lost most of the time trying to find where in the world my classes were I just casually glanced at it. Not anymore, now I am seeing the strike with my own eyes and seeing just what that raised fist is working towards.
A majority of AUC students and workers are on strike against high tuition fees and stagnant wages. Students are blaring protest songs (like the liberation song from British independence) and speaking with megaphones as other students and workers cheer them on. So what are they protesting exactly and what are their demands?
First off, they are protesting a 9% increase
Strike
Demands in tuition from last year. Since the Egyptian economy is not doing well after the Revolution, a lot of families are struggling financially, even if AUC students are known as being part of the wealthier society in Egypt. That would bring up the tuition to around 120,000 Egyptian Pounds (approximately 20,000 USD) per year. For a private American University, this is more affordable, but for Egypt, this is very expensive. Instead, the students wish that whatever tuition they pay for freshman year is locked in and guaranteed for all four years.
The other major demand concerns the rights of the workers on campus, i.e., security guards, custodial staff, and the ground workers. These workers have been employed at AUC for many years, and yet they don't have contracts (therefore no healthcare or any work related benefits). These workers make only 650 pounds a year (109 USD) and are asking for a minimum wage of 1,200 LE a year (201 USD). As of a meeting on Sunday, they have received one Saturday off per month (they were asking for every Saturday off) and a raise of 200 LE. They will meet again in November for further negotiations.
Strike
Students and Workers Other demands from students are free parking, more student representation (i.e. student government more involved in university decisions that affect them), improvement in the buses, food, and copy center, and more transparency of where university funds are going.
Now it may seem contradictory that students want lower tuition while workers want higher salaries, and how do you get both. It's important to look at the reasons why this happened. From what I have gathered talking to students and professors, the university is operating at an 80 million dollar deficit. This happened for mainly two big reasons. The first is AUC is an Egyptian university and they wanted to help Egypt, so they decided to invest in the Egyptian market. This was all fine and dandy until last year, when the market tanked due to the revolution. AUC ended up losing a lot of money. The second big reason is people like me, well, sort of. International students usually make up a large majority of AUC students, whether they come for all four years, grad school, or study abroad. After the revolution, a lot of students decided it was not safe to come to Egypt, or their schools didn't
Strike
Demanding Rights allow them to come. AUC, therefore, has a very low enrollment of ISA this semester, and is not making nearly as much money as they usually do with their international programs.
Well, that is the strike in a nutshell, and as far as I can tell, it won't let up anytime soon until the demands are met. Hopefully students, staff, faculty, and administration can find some happy medium. Egypt has certainly come alive within this past year and these students definitely have the fire of the revolution running through their veins!
About the Protest in General
Threatening to fire striking workers
PS in case you were wondering the newspaper means The Egyptian Today in Arabic =)
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