Egypt's House of Representatives has given final approval to the new labor law, following a government request to revisit several articles, including the definition of a "worker."
Mahmoud Fawzi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Political Communication, presented the government-proposed amendments, asking to alter the previously agreed definition. Parliament had initially endorsed a definition framing a worker as "any natural person employed under a work contract for remuneration by an employer and under their management or supervision."
The approved amendment removes the reference to a "work contract." Fawzi explained that this change aims to avoid narrowing the scope of who qualifies as a worker, emphasizing that the law regulates both written and unwritten employment relationships.
"We seek to prevent harm to workers," he said.
The chamber also agreed to amend Article 103 of the draft law, stipulating that the National Wages Council should now convene at least once every six months instead of every three. According to the revision, the council meets upon invitation from its chairperson, and its meetings are valid with the majority of members present. Decisions require a majority vote, with the chairperson's side prevailing in the event of a tie.
Fawzi justified the adjustment by arguing that a three-month interval was too short to yield developments warranting a full council meeting.
Parliament had approved the bill in its entirety last month. At that time, House Speaker and Counsellor Hanafi El-Gebaly postponed the final vote to a later session, pending the government's ongoing amendments.
On February 25, lawmakers initially agreed "in principle" to the government-drafted labor bill, with near-unanimous support except for a single dissenting vote. The session also featured calls for amendments, notably from the president of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation.
In earlier interviews with Al Manassa, MPs and labor leaders emphasized the need to revise provisions related to strikes. Their suggestions included shortening the required notice period to five days and clarifying exceptional circumstances and critical sectors where strikes would be prohibited.
Separately, the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights released a report in February criticizing the draft law. The group said that despite some improvements, the bill failed to strike a fair balance between workers' rights and employers' interests.
