Introduction

The Senate initially approved a new draft of the labour law, to be issued soon, entirely replacing the current labour law no. 12 of 2003 (the “Draft Law”).

Overview

This alert briefly sheds light on the key revisions introduced to the Draft Law by the Senate compared to the previously published draft (earlier in 2021) and the current labour law. It also touches upon our take on the importance of complying with the Draft Law with other applicable laws and regulations in Egypt.

New Principles

• The Draft Law confirms the legal obligation to hire persons with disabilities in line with Law No. 10 of 2018 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• In line with the Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020, the employer must maintain confidential the medical check-ups of the employee and not disclose the employee’s medical status resulting from such check-ups.
• Penalties on employers have been intensified in cases of failure to comply with the forced labour and discrimination restrictions.

New Amendments

• Female employees are now entitled to maternity leave upon spending at least 6 months at the employer (instead of 10 months at any employer).
• Childcare leave is entitled to female employees up to 3 times during their service period upon fulfilling certain conditions. We note that such an amendment now complies with Child Law No. 12 of 1996 and resolves the contradiction between the latter and the current labour law.
• The minimum limit for the employment of children is 15 years old, and the minimum age for their training is 14 if it does not hinder them from continuing their education.
• Employees in industrial entities are entitled to paid sick leave for a collective period of 1 year which exceeds the paid sick leave provisions under the current labour law.

In light of the above, please see below a link to the updated brief overview of the Draft Law, which sheds light on the main insights we have noted under the Draft Law.