By Mohammed Al Baali
Albawaba.com - Cairo
The Egyptian government is preparing to present a new Labor bill to the parliament (Peoples’ Council) after years of postponement.
The first draft of the law was ready in 1991, but many amended drafts were prepared until the last version of the bill was adopted for presentation to the legislative council for approval.
The bill has led to hectic reactions among the Egyptian opposition front, which has held many meetings that resulted in forming a coalition named “the National Committee for Defending Laborers.”
Most of the opposition forces participated in the committee despite the fact that it was dominated by the leftist powers. The newspapers Al Arabi, Al Ahli and Al Wafd (opposition newspaper) have launched successive campaigns against the draft law. Furthermore, attempts have recently been made to form a wide parliamentary front including independent parliament members (non-businessmen) in addition to the opposition parliamentary members to stand against the law.
Albawaba.com has polled the views of some of the Egyptian figure about the law. Ahmad Sharaf, the Egyptian Communist party representative, reiterated that the bill and other laws have been prepared within a general framework with the aim of changing the general legislative structure in Egypt.
According to Sharaf, the aim of such changes is to adapt these laws to globalization and the “imperialist New World Order.” Among these are the laws related to the freedom of the press, documentation, appointment mayors and village administrative chiefs. This is in addition to social laws such as the law governing the relation between the landlord and tenant, said the activist.
Sharaf stressed that despite the fact that the opposition constitutes a minority in the parliament, it can stop the passing of the labor law provided that the campaign against it is not sized down to a parliamentary debate.
“We should resort to the wider popular base to oppose the law and hold public meetings in the laborers’ areas to discuss it,” he demanded. “Any conference attended by just 1000 laborer will horrify the regime more than any parliamentary committee.”
For his part, Rifat Bashir, the Naserite independent MP said that the opponents of the government bill “do not reject the law in principle, but they rather want a law which can achieve balance in labor relations through clear provisions that guarantee the protection of workers.” He added that these laws should impose legal restrictions on the entrepreneurs, allow the right of strike, define minimum wages and protect the laborers fixed rights in leaves and working hours and other benefits.
Responding to a question regarding the steps taken to confront the bill, Bashir said that a weekly meeting is held and attended by a number of parliament members representing laborers and other groups (except businessmen).
“The meetings aim to discuss the drafted bill with the representatives of parties and labor associations so as to coordinate our movements.”
The National Committee for Defending Workers has criticized the bill very bitterly in a booklet issued in the form of an open letter to the parliament members and the Egyptian public opinion. It has called for rejecting the bill or any other bill that would deprive laborers of their rights, as was the case with previous laws, and expand these rights and make them better.
Although the committee said that most of the Egyptian opposition movements, including the Islamic Brotherhood, are taking part in its activities, Mamoun Al Hudaibi, the Brotherhood spokesman confirmed to Albawaba.com that their participation in the committee aims primarily at discussing the law and studying it. According to Hudaibi, this is to enable the Brotherhood members understand the law and then they might reject some of its clauses or demand amendments.
“But the rejection of the bill before studying it is out of question,” Hudaibi added.
Meanwhile, Ali Fateh, labor deputy representing the Muslim Brotherhood, said that “the bill has not become a law and has not yet been presented to the parliament and therefore it should neither be discussed nor should an attitude be made regarding it at present.”
The parties advocating the law include in addition to the ruling National party some symbols of the leftist Assembly party, pro-government Laborers Association Union, and many businessmen. Each group defends the bill from its angle of vision. Businessmen believe that workers have got through the previous laws rights more than they deserve and it is high time to leave work conditions for the market’s powers.
The associations union and some leftist symbols believe that the bill has many positive aspects such as the right for strike and workers right in group negotiations. They demand the law be passed because, as they claim, businessmen seek the omission of the rights mentioned in the bill before it is passed. As for the government and the ruling National party, they reiterated that the main two objectives of the bill are “to provide stability in the work environment and improve investment prospects."
