Egypt

In Egypt, workers were not allowed to celebrate May Day. In other events, independent trade unions were prevented from holding meetings and owners of meeting halls were pressured to cancel reservations made by trade unions.

In Egypt, all independent unions were dissolved in March 2018. Since then, many have faced countless administrative hurdles and in 2023 were still seeking official registration with the authorities. In 2023, the authorities refused to register independent unions established in the following sectors: garment, agriculture, glass industry, telecommunications, street vendors and taxi drivers.

Where a yellow union already existed in the workplace, unions met further difficulties, with employers claiming that under the 2017 law, only one trade union committee can be set up, thus preventing the formation of a new union. In 2023, this was the case for independent unions at the Library of Alexandria, the Post Office, several Teachers Local Units and unions in the judiciary.

In Egypt, employers often withheld union dues despite check-off agreements, as was the case at Pasta Regina, a food producer that employed over 1,500 workers in Cairo.

Employers in the garment sector in Egypt often did not respect the provisions of concluded collective agreements.

In Egypt, workers were frequently victims of retaliation and were summarily dismissed for taking part in strike actions, including at steel producer Beshay Company and Pasta Regina, a food producer.

The strike organised at Beshay was also brutally repressed by the police.