2007年VOA标准英语-Striking Workers Take Over Egyptian Textile Pla

By Challiss McDonough
Ghazl el-Mahalla, Egypt
27 September 2007

Thousands of workers have taken control of one of Egypt's biggest state-owned textile factories in a continuing protest over pay and work conditions.  Tensions are mounting as the strike enters its fifth day.  VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has this report from the town of Ghazl el-Mahalla.

The textile workers at the Egypt Weaving and Spinning Company first went on strike last December.  Management then made them promises the workers now say they have not delivered.  So the factory's 27,000 employees have walked out again, demanding higher wages and the firing of top managers, who they accuse of corruption¹. 

The workers have taken over the gigantic factory, which has customers all over the world.

Worker Mustafa Farahan says his paycheck is only about $57 a month after 21 years of service to the company.   He asks how he can be expected to feed his wife and four children on those wages.

The government says several millions dollars in revenue are being lost every day that the factory is shut down.

Most of the strikers are fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and they have been camped out at the factory 24 hours a day all week.  They are refusing to go back to work until their demands are met.  They say they have no other choice, because their wages have not kept up with inflation.

The wildcat strikes have been far larger than any protest organized by the political opposition² groups because the workers' movements have more grassroots support than any of Egypt's political parties or activist³ groups.

The chants are targeting the president and the minister of labor⁴, alongside the factory managers.

But it is not clear whether the strikes will have wider political implications.  The workers do not entirely⁵ agree among themselves about whether this is just a labor action, or something bigger.

Twelve-year factory veteran Hassan Mohammed says the papers say the workers are challenging the government.  But he says it is not a challenge, the workers are just calling for their rights.

With that, one of the factory's most senior workers, El-Sayed Habib, interrupts him.

He says, " Frankly⁶ we are challenging the government."   And then he disappears into the crowd outside the factory where he has worked for more than four decades.

Twenty-three-year-old textile worker Kareem El-Behirey has been posting photos and video of the events in Mahalla on his blog, reaching activists⁷ elsewhere in Egypt and around the world with the latest developments.

He points out some of the messages displayed around the factory on banners and signs, alongside an effigy⁸ tied to the front gate.

"This message is for President Mubarak, about the workers' problems in Ghazl el-Mahalla," El-Behirey said. "And they ask him there, 'Please, please Mr. Mubarak, we want you to come to Ghazl el-Mahalla company to listen to the workers."

Switching from English into Arabic as he continues the tour, Behirey directly addresses the factory's owners - the Egyptian government.

He says, "Someone is wrong.  It is either us or you.  I do not believe that 27,000 people are wrong, so the government is wrong.  When it ignores 27,000 people, something is wrong with the society."  He says, "Either find us another society to live in, or find us another government to rule us, or find our rights and give them to us."

It remains⁹ unclear whether authorities will respond to the strike with a better offer, or with a show of force.  Security troops surrounded the factory Wednesday and remain heavily deployed¹⁰ throughout town.  A number of strike organizers have been detained and released.  The workers vow¹¹ that they will not abandon their strike even if the factory is raided.

1 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 effigy   

n.肖像

参考例句：

• There the effigy stands,and stares from age to age across the changing ocean.雕像依然耸立在那儿，千秋万载地凝视着那变幻无常的大海。
• The deposed dictator was burned in effigy by the crowd.群众焚烧退位独裁者的模拟像。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

11 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

12 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

13 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。