Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1991, published 78th ILC session (1991)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Egypt (Ratification: 1960)

The Committee has taken note of the information supplied by the Government in its report and requests the Government to refer to its observation concerning the application of this Convention.

In its previous direct request, the Committee had requested the Government to transmit certain information, the copy of an Act and certain statistics. As the Government's report has only provided some of the statistics requested, the Committee is obliged to pursue the lines of its previous comments:

1. The Committee previously recalled that section 94, subsection 6, of Act No. 47 of 1978 and section 96, subsection 6, of Act No. 48 of 1978, concerning respectively the conditions of service of civilian workers in the public administration and the conditions of workers in the public sector, provide that these workers may be dismissed by decision of the President of the Republic in particular cases laid down by the special Act concerning this subject. The Government had indicated in its previous report that this special Act had not yet been promulgated, but that, in the meantime, cases of non-disciplinary dismissals were regulated by Act No. 10 of 1981. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide a copy of this Act with its next report.

2. The Committee had also requested the Government to provide detailed information on any positive measures taken in practice to give effect to the national policy referred to in Article 2 of the Convention, designed to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation in the following areas: (a) access to vocational training; (b) access to employment and to particular occupations; and (c) terms and conditions of employment (according to the report form for this Convention under Article 2).

The Committee would also like to have detailed information on the manner in which the above-mentioned national policy is applied in practice: (1) for employment under the direct control of a national authority; (2) concerning vocational training and guidance controlled by the national authorities; and (3) by the public placement services (information requested in the report form for the Convention under Article 3(d) and (e)).

The Committee notes that the Government reiterates its previous indication that the legislative provisions in force guarantee the application of the principles of equality in all areas relating to employment and occupation and that there is no discrimination on the basis of sex or religion. Furthermore, the Government indicates that, as concerns vocational training, the Minister of Manpower and Training is responsible for studying the technical and financial aspects of projects and for ensuring their conformity with the national policy for the development of labour resources and for responding to national needs. None the less, the Committee would like to have available to it more complete information on the measures taken (for example, in the field of public education and information and in the field of vocational training and access to employment) in order to promote the application of the Convention, particularly in respect of women.

According to the statistics provided by the Government, the proportion of women (i.e. about 13 per cent) who participate in the national vocational training centers is much lower than the proportion of men. The Committee draws the Government's attention to this situation which, in its opinion, could be improved by taking appropriate measures to ensure equality between men and women in practice.

The Committee requests the Government to transmit, with its next report, statistics on the number of employed persons in the private sector and in the public sector and on the number of women employed in positions of responsibility, as well as details on the activities of the commissions responsible for workers' affairs, the establishment of which is provided for by the above-mentioned Acts Nos. 47 and 48 of 1978.