“What is a trade union and what are the conditions to establish one” ANHRI issues the 5th edition of the Workers’ Guide series

Cairo: 27 June 2018

“What is a trade union and what are the conditions to establish one in accordance with Law 213 of 2017” is the fifth of the Workers’ Guide series launched today by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.

The new guide by the “Freedom of Expression for Workers and Social Movements” program of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) is in 41 pages of the small cut pocket-size pages. It clearly defines a trade union and its function, the legal personality, who are the workers affected by recently issued Trade Union Organizations and the Right to Organize Act, No. 213 of 2017.

The guide provides valuable and detailed information on the history of trade unions and the formal recognition of trade unions in Europe and Egypt, up to the current law No. 213 of 2017 and its bylaws issued by Ministerial Decree No. 35 of 2018.

The guide focuses on clarifying the new provisions of the current law in violation of the previous law, which defines the function of a trade union and its role in protecting the legitimate rights of its members, defending their common interests, improving the working conditions and providing a definition of the legal personality of the union, how the union obtains legal personality status, what is reconciliation under the new law, and what are the procedures to reconcile, and then the manual goes over the procedure and required documents to establish a trade union.

The guide highlights the procedure that has to be done if the management of the establishment or the social security refused to stamp the members’ list of the general assembly of the union seeking to reconcile, and the guide shows that it is advisable that the largest number of the board of the trade union committee, not just the spokes person, go to the authorities to be successful in the reconciliation process, perhaps with the numbers, the intransigent employee quits stubbornness and accepts the papers, as long as they meet the required conditions.

ANHRI said that the aim of this guide is to enable workers in various places and labor groups to gain a deep understanding of the procedures and regulations governing trade union activity and the practices to be followed in the management of various trade union activities in order to train a new generation of honest trade unionists who will stand up for labor rights”.

Today ANHRI will begin distributing the guide which is also available through the following link: