Kamal Abbas
Kamal Abbas (born 1955) is an Egyptian labor activist and the General Coordinator of the Center for Trade Unions and Workers Services (CTUWS), which supports independent unions in Egypt.
He started working in a steel mill in 1975. In 1989 he helped organize a strike at the Helwan Iron and Steel Company, where the police used force, and Abbas was arrested, tortured, and fired. This experience pushed him to help start CTUWS in 1990 in Helwan to fight for workers’ rights outside the government-controlled unions.
Abbas has often clashed with Egypt’s ruling authorities. He has been arrested several times and faced defamation charges (including a 2007 case) and other legal troubles. His work drew attention during the 2011 revolution, when he helped mobilize workers and push for independent unions, better wages, and fair elections for union leaders.
Throughout his career, Abbas criticized the state-run Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) and the lack of real democracy in unions. He argued for independent unions and for workers to have real say in their organizations, not just in government-approved groups.
Key moments in recent years include his support for the creation of independent unions after the 2011 uprising, his calls for reform of labor laws, and his public actions against the ETUF, including a 2011 lawsuit calling for the dissolution of the ETUF. He also spoke to workers abroad, sending a message of solidarity to Wisconsin and other workers fighting for their rights.
In 2012, CTUWS reported that Abbas was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison for insulting a public official, a case seen by many as part of the government’s pressure on independent unions.
Today, Abbas remains a prominent voice for independent unions and workers’ rights in Egypt, advocating peaceful strikes, better wages, fair working conditions, and democratic processes within unions.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:53 (CET).