GENEVA— The International Labour Conference (ILC) – Credentials Committee recommended the Egyptian government to to adopt the necessary legislative framework to ensure full legal recognition to newly formed independent unions.
The recommendation is one of several recommendations made by the Committee following an objection submitted against the Egyptian delegation at the ILO meeting which took place in June 2015 in Geneva by the Arab Trade Unions Confederation (ATUC) and the Egyptian Democratic Labour Congress (EDLC), an affiliate of the International Trade Union Federation.
In a report issued by the committee it said it received an objection concerning the nomination of the workers’ delegation presented by the ATUC and the EDLC.
The objection entailed that the workers’ delegation to that session was composed exclusively of members of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF), excluding members of the EDLC.
The Congress noted that the ETUF was not a legitimate representative of Egyptian workers, given that its representatives are not elected but appointed by a ministerial decree.
The objection also added that there were no longer any legitimate and legally recognized organizations representative of workers in the country due to the trade union monopoly which had existed for decades.
Although the Egyptian government submitted an explanation to the Committee, it was considered as “insufficient” by the Committee.
In its explanation the Government said that there was no law in Egypt regulating workers’ representation at any international conference, but that a draft law had been prepared and would be submitted to Parliament for adoption upon its eventual reconvening. The government also indicated that the election of the members of the Parliament for adoption upon its eventual reconvening. It added that the election of the members of Parliament would take place before the end of 2015. The government also noted that if it had applied the criterion of the most representative organization, only the ETUF would have been represented at the present conference, since it was the only workers’ organization formally registered under the provisions of the law governing official trade unions.
The government also noted that the EDLC had been invited to all discussions on freedom of association and that it had assisted the EDLC when one of its members had composed another federation. The government also explained that two other workers’ organizations were represented at the present session of the conference in addition to the ETUF.
Thus, the Committee that finds that the objection raises questions that go beyond those concerning exclusively the nomination of the workers’ delegation to the conference and may be better examined by the committee on Freedom of Association, recommended that the government of Egypt avails itself of technical assistance which the ILO may provide in this respect. In addition the Committee said it cannot regret that the Government has yet to adopt the necessary legislative framework to ensure full legal recognition to newly formed independent unions.
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