Manpower Minister Azhari: Workers Have Right to Elections and Freedoms

A number of law professionals demanded speedy enactment of the trade union freedoms law debated by the Manpower Committee at the People’s Assembly (lower house of Egyptian Parliament).

They affirmed that the freedoms law would help organize and streamline trade union work. They further demanded that workers’ union elections would be conducted in accordance with the articles of that law.

On Saturday, Khalid Azhari, Minister of Manpower and Immigration, held a roundtable meeting with a number of jurists and law professionals and experts, at the Ministry’s headquarters, to discuss the proposed law of trade union freedoms, the upcoming union elections, and a legal way out of the current union situation.

Two former ministers of manpower attended the meeting, where Azhari said, "If the law of trade union freedoms is applied in the upcoming union elections, we will enact the ??version that resulted from the People’s Assembly Manpower Committee discussions.

"There are several problems we’ll have to address in the coming period, such as the expiry of the Union of Workers’ term on November 27 and the need to hold elections within the next two months."

The Minister said that he would contact the People’s Assembly to ask for the final version of the trade union freedoms law, so as to put it forth to law professionals and experts. He explained that the Ministry of Justice will oversee the workers’ union elections.