"New trade union law undermines freedom of association in Egypt", 14 December 2017

The Egyptian parliament approved... the trade union draft law that has been widely criticized by Egyptian independent trade unions as furthering strict government control over these groups, raising questions about the future of the labor movements in Egypt... Egyptian Minister of Manpower Mohamed Saafan said in a press statement... that the draft law provides workers with the right to form trade unions, and to join or withdraw from them. According to Saafan, the law is in line with the International Labor Organization (ILO) standards and conventions ratified by Egypt in regard to the freedom of association. Yet independent trade unions’ officials and human rights activists said the draft law recently approved by parliament reinforces government control over Egyptian workers and sets impossible conditions for the creation of trade unions. In a statement issued Nov. 7, the International Trade Union Confederation called on the Egyptian government to withdraw the draft, considering it a flagrant violation of ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association...