Freedom of Association
Database 2024

Freedom of Association
Indicator
Freedom of Association
Countries
LRI 2024
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Egypt

Freedom of Association Indicator

The Labour Rights Index 2024 (LRI 2024) is a de-jure index covering 145 economies and structured around the working lifespan of a worker. In total, 46 questions or evaluation criteria are scored across 10 indicators. The overall score is calculated by taking the average of each indicator, with 100 being the highest possible score. The Index uses a rating system, ranging from “Total Lack of Decent Work” to “Decent Work”. The Labour Rights Index aims at an active contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, by providing necessary (complementary) insights into de jure provisions on issues covered in particular by SDG8 (Decent Jobs), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Strong Institutions). The Index is based on national labour legislation, applicable on 1 January 2024.

Egypt’s overall score is 69.5 out of 100. The overall score for Egypt is greater than the regional average observed across Middle East and North Africa (64). Within the Middle East and North Africa region, the highest score is observed for Morocco (77).

Egypt ratified Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) in 1957 and Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949) in 1954.

Labour Rights Index 2024

69.5/100

LRI Country Score

25/100

Freedom of Association Indicator

23.80 %

Trade union density rate (%)

. %

Collective bargaining coverage rate (%)

6.08

SDG indicator 8.8.2

5

ITUC Global Rights Index 2024 Ratings

Question

Answer

Score

Legal Basis

More Info

Does the law allow workers to form and join unions of their own choice?

No

0

§76 & 77, Constitution 2014; Law No. 142 of 5 August 2019; CEACR, C87, Obs. 2023; ITUC Global Rights Index 2024 (Egypt Profile)

A,B,C

Does the law allow workers to bargain collectively with employers through their representative unions?

Yes

1

§13, Constitution of Egypt, 2014; §3,145-167, 179, 187, Labour Law 2003

Does the law provide for the right to strike?

No

0

§15, Constitution of Egypt 2014; §3, 192-195, Labour Law 2003; ITUC Global Rights Index 2024 (Egypt Profile)

A,B

Does the law prohibit imposing of excessive sanctions against striking workers?

No

0

§69(9) & 192 of the Labour Law 2003

Textual sources

A : National Law

National Labour Legislation

B : CEACR

CEACR: ILO Committee of Experts on Application of Conventions and Recommendations (latest report)

C : ITUC

ITUC: ITUC Global Rights Index

D : USDOS

USDOS: US Department of States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

LRI Country Score
The Labour Rights Index has 10 indicators and 46 sub-indicators. The LRI Country score averages 10 indicators and ranges between 0 and 100. The lowest and highest scorers are Nigeria (29/100) and Belgium/Greece (96/100). https://labourrightsindex.org/  

Freedom of Association Indicator
The Freedom of Association indicator is composed of 4 sub-indicators. Scoring is done through the binary method (0 or 1). The score ranges between 0-100. 

Trade union density rate (%)
The trade union density rate conveys the number of union members who are employees as a percentage of the total number of employees in the country. For updated statistics on trade union density, please check ILOSTAT. 

Collective bargaining coverage rate (%)
The collective bargaining coverage rate conveys the number of employees whose pay and/or conditions of employment are determined by one or more collective agreement(s) as a percentage of the total number of employees in the country. For updated statistics on collective bargaining coverage, please check ILOSTAT. 

SDG indicator 8.8.2
SDG indicator 8.8.2 measures national compliance with fundamental labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining or FACB). It ranges from 0 to 10, with 0 being the best possible score (indicating higher levels of compliance with FACB rights) and 10 the worst (indicating lower levels of compliance with FACB rights). It is based on six ILO supervisory body textual sources and national legislation.
For an updated assessment on SDG indicator 8.8.2, please check ILOSTAT. 

ITUC Global Rights Index 2024 Ratings
The ITUC Global Rights Index depicts the world’s worst countries for workers by rating 148 countries on a scale from 1 to 5+ on the degree of respect for workers’ rights. Violations are recorded each year from April to March.  For a detailed description of ratings and methodology, please follow the link. 

Information

Source: §76 & 77, Constitution 2014; Law No. 142 of 5 August 2019; CEACR, C87, Obs. 2023; ITUC Global Rights Index 2024 (Egypt Profile)

A : National Law

National Labour Legislation

"Article (11): The facility's workers have the right to form a trade union committee for the facility with no less than fifty workers bound to her Workers in establishments that do not meet the quorum stipulated in the previous paragraph, and workers in establishments in which the number of workers is less than fifty workers, as well as workers in professions and crafts, may form a professional labor union committee at the city or governorate level, as the case may be, and the number of its members shall not be less than fifty workers. This is done in partnership with other workers working in professional or craft groups or industries that are similar or related to each other or shared in one production, provided that complementary and complementing professions for some industries are considered to be included within This industry is in accordance with international standards applied in this regard."

B : CEACR

CEACR: ILO Committee of Experts on Application of Conventions and Recommendations

"Minimum membership requirements. The Committee recalls its previous comments requesting the Government to review, with the social partners, the minimum membership requirement to form a trade union of 50 workers for the formation of a trade union committee at enterprise level, ten union committees and 15,000 members for a general union and seven general unions and 150,000 members for the establishment of a trade union federation (namely, a confederation). The Committee observes that the ITUC continues to consider these thresholds too high and that they could not even be met by all ETUF federations, while the Government states that they are not prohibitive. The Government nevertheless indicates that it will again refer the issue to the Supreme Council for Social Dialogue at its next meeting in October 2023 to reconsider the minimum membership requirements for registration. "

C : ITUC

ITUC Global Rights Index (country legal profile)

"Law No. 142 of 5 August 2019 reduced the minimum membership requirement to 50 workers for the formation of a company-level trade union committee, to ten trade union committees and 15,000 members for a general trade union, and to seven general trade unions and 150,000 members for the creation of a trade union federation (i.e. a confederation). However, these thresholds remain extremely difficult to achieve in practice."

Information

Source: §13, Constitution of Egypt, 2014; §3,145-167, 179, 187, Labour Law 2003

Information

Source: §15, Constitution of Egypt 2014; §3, 192-195, Labour Law 2003; ITUC Global Rights Index 2024 (Egypt Profile)

A : National Law

National Labour Legislation

"Article 192: Workers have the right to strike peacefully, and it shall be announced and organized through their trade union organizations in defense of their professional, economic and social interests, within the limits and in accordance with the controls and procedures stipulated in this law.In the event that workers of an establishment with a trade union committee intend to strike in the circumstances permitted by this law, the trade union committee must – After the approval of the Board of Directors of the concerned general union by a two-thirds majority of its members - notifying both the employer and the competent administrative authority at least ten days before the date set for the strike by a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. If the establishment does not have a trade union committee, notification of the workers’ intention to strike shall be given to the concerned general union, and to the latter after the approval of the council.Its management, by the majority stipulated in the previous paragraph, shall carry out the aforementioned notification. In all cases, the notification must include the reasons for the strike and the time period specified for it."

B : CEACR

CEACR: ILO Committee of Experts on Application of Conventions and Recommendations

"The law provides for recourse to compulsory arbitration in services that are not essential in the strict sense of the word (Labor Code, sections 179, 187, 193 and 194)."

Information

Source: §69(9) & 192 of the Labour Law 2003