he began his work by organizing a strike at a steel plant in helwan, egypt in 1989, for which he was arrested, tortured, and fired. that incident led to his starting the ctuws and advocating for workers' rights throughout egypt. abbas' relationship with mubarak's regime was tense and marked by conflicts with the government and multiple arrests. the "los angeles times" called abbas "a major annoyance" to president hosni mubarak's regime, and "passionate, methodical and accustomed to police surveillance."