The new labor law.. How does it support decent work and promote economic growth?

Providing decent job opportunities and promoting economic growth are among the priorities set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launched by the United Nations, based on the importance of building labor markets that provide protection and rights for workers, and at the same time support the ability of economies to grow and produce.

Achieving this goal requires the presence of clear policies and legislation that regulate the relationship between work parties, and provide a stable and safe environment that helps improve productivity and protect workers’ rights.

In this context, Egypt continues to develop its policies regulating the labor market in a way that supports the balance between workers’ rights and the needs of employers, and enhances compliance with the rules regulating labor relations. The new labor law comes firstThese efforts, along with the accompanying regulations, awareness-raising programs and technical support, aim to transform the provisions of the law from legislative texts into clear practices within production sites.

Regulating the relationship between workers and employers

The new labor law represents a framework for regulating the relationship between workers and employers, by setting clearer rules governing rights and duties within the work environment, which helps reduce disputes resulting from ambiguity of rules or different mechanisms for applying them. The law is also linked to providing guarantees that protect the worker, in addition to regulating the employer’s obligations in a way that achieves a degree of balance between the interests of both parties of production.

The impact of labor market regulation extends to protecting rights and stabilizing the production environment. The more clear, known and applicable the rules regulating business relations are, the more businesses can manage their resourcesHumanity has become more stable, and the worker has become more able to know his rights and duties.

A safe work environment.. better conditions for productivity

From this standpoint, implementing the law is linked to supporting a safe and orderly work environment, which creates better conditions for productivity and economic growth, and this is related to the eighth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on decent work and economic growth, which focuses on promoting decent work opportunities, protecting the rights of workers, and supporting safe and productive work environments, which are aspects that are directly related to the ability of the new labor law to regulate the relationship between production parties and achieve greater stability within the labor market.

The importance of this system increases with the need of enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones, for practical guidance that helps them move from knowing the provisions of the law to adhering to them within the workplace. And hereThe role of labor market stakeholders is to provide tools, information, and technical support that make legislation present in daily practice, and not just a legal text.

Supporting the implementation of the provisions of the new labor law

From this standpoint, the Minister of Labor, Mr. Hassan Raddad, witnessed, at the Ministry’s headquarters in the New Capital, the signing of a cooperation protocol between the “Ministry of Labor” and the “Social, Health and Cultural Services Fund”, with the aim of developing and financing technical and guidance services directed to establishments and workers, supporting the implementation of the provisions of the new labor law, and introducing the decisions and regulations regulating labor relations.

This protocol supports small and medium enterprises to implement the provisions of the new labor law, introduce the work regulation in private sector companies, and spread awareness of its contents and implementation mechanisms, in a way that supports the stability of the relationship between owners.Businesses and workers and enhances compliance with legislation regulating the labor market.

Cooperation includes organizing seminars, workshops, and training programs targeting business owners and workers, to introduce the rights and duties of both parties to production, the provisions of the work organization regulations, and work controls within establishments, in addition to spreading the culture of occupational safety and health, and raising awareness of ways to provide a safe work environment.

This intersects with the third goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which supports achieving good health and well-being, by paying attention to the safety of workers and protecting them from risks that may affect their health and well-being within the work environment, making occupational protection part of a broader concept of quality of life and work.

Technical support and awareness for implementing the new labor law

The Ministry of Labor prepares the legal and technical content of services and awareness materials through a group of experts, while continuing to provide the necessary guidance on their use, while the Fund undertakes to provide the necessary funding for the preparation and printing of the labor law, executive decisions, booklets, and regulations regulating work, penalties, and the employment of women and children established by law, preparing the content of awareness materials, and implementing training programs, seminars, and workshops directed to business owners, workers, and those responsible for implementing the provisions of the labor law within establishments.

These efforts are also related to the sixteenth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on peace, justice and strong institutions, by supporting the rule of rules governing labor relations, enhancing the ability of institutions to inform production parties of their rights and duties, and facilitating access to legislation and mechanisms for implementing it, in a way that supports compliance and enhances confidence in frameworks.Organization of the labor market.

Supporting law enforcement and stabilizing the production environment

The Minister of Labor, Mr. Hassan Raddad, confirmed that the launch of the regulation regulating work in private sector companies is an important step towards implementing the new labor law, and establishing clear rules that regulate the relationship between workers and employers, in a way that supports the stability of the work environment and raises production rates.

He said that the Ministry of Labor is concerned with issuing legislation and regulations, taking care to make them known and simplify the mechanisms for their application within work sites, and ease of access to them, noting that cooperation with the Social, Health and Cultural Services Fund contributes to the implementation of expanded awareness programs that reach business owners and workers, and supports establishments in adhering to the provisions of the law and regulations.

The Minister indicated that these efforts come in implementation of the directives of His Excellency the PresidentAbdel Fattah El-Sisi, towards building a balanced labor market that preserves workers’ rights, supports business owners and investment, and establishes a safe and stable environment for production, stressing that adherence to the rules regulating work is a shared responsibility between production parties, and one of the basic components for achieving development and increasing productivity.

Based on the above, the real impact of the new labor law begins from the moment its provisions are transferred from the pages of legislation to the workplace, so the worker becomes aware of his rights and duties, and the employer has the tools that help him adhere to the rules regulating his relationship with workers.

Hence, awareness and technical support programs gain their importance. Because it gives the law practical means to be present within establishments, and helps transform compliance from theoretical knowledge of texts into clear and stable practice, especiallyIn small and medium enterprises.

This path is inseparable from building a work environment capable of protecting humans and supporting production at the same time. The safety of the worker, the stability of his relationship with the employer, and the clarity of the rules governing this relationship are integral factors in forming an environment more capable of production and growth. As awareness-raising tools continue to be developed and legislation and regulations become more accessible, the new labor law becomes part of a broader system that makes decent work a basis for social and economic stability.

On this basis, The Earth Guards Foundation confirms that the power of legislation appears in its ability to reach the daily life of the worker and the facility, so that protecting rights, adhering to the law, and improving productivity become connected links in one path towards achieving sustainable development.