Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144) - Egypt (Ratification: 1982)

Articles 2 and 5 of the Convention. Effective tripartite consultations. The Committee notes with concern that the Government has not provided substantive information on the application of the Convention since 2009. In 2017, the Government informed that a Standing Committee for Social Dialogue had been established in 2014 pursuant to Ministerial Order No. 324 to discuss issues related to ILO activities, but that the Standing Committee had not held any meetings since its inaugural session. In 2019, the Government reported that the most important body for the purpose of the Convention is the Supreme Council for Social Dialogue, which is composed of two representatives from each of the tripartite constituents and is competent to discuss the development of national policies for social dialogue, fostering tripartite consultation, cooperation and exchanges of information, and advising on draft laws related to labour issues, trade unions and international labour standards. Regarding the obligation of holding tripartite consultations in relation to items on the agenda of the Conference (Article 5(1)(a)), the Government had merely indicated previously that consultations were being held through tripartite meetings coordinated with the ILO Office in Cairo without, however, providing details on neither the content nor the outcome of these consultations. The Committee notes with regret that, in its succinct report submitted in September 2023, the Government has, once again, not provided information in that regard and has not replied to the previous comments made by the Committee in 2019.

In this respect, recalling that, pursuant to Article 5(2) of the Convention, consultations on the matters referred to Article 5(1) need to be held at least once a year,the Committee once again urges the Government to provide specific and detailed information regarding the frequency, content and outcome of such consultations,specifying whether they are held in the Supreme Council for Tripartite Dialogue or some other identifiable tripartite body. In particular, it requests the Government to provide information on tripartite consultations held on all matters concerning international labour standards provided by the Convention, namely: government replies to questionnaires concerning items on the agenda of the ILC (Article 5(1)(a)); the submission of instruments adopted by the Conference to the House of Representatives (Article 5(1)(b)); the re-examination at appropriate intervals of unratified Conventions and Recommendations to which effect has not yet been given (Article 5(1)(c)); questions arising out of reports to be presented on the application of ratified Conventions (Article 5(1)(d)); and the possible denunciation of ratified Conventions (Article 5(1)(e)). The Committee also reiterates its request to the Government to provide information on any measures implemented or developed,or raised for discussion by the worker or employer members, as a result of the tripartite consultations on matters covered under Article 5 of the Convention. The Committee further reiterates its request to the Government to provide information on the impact on tripartite consultations of Decree No. 799/2019 mentioned in the Government’s previous report which restructured the membership of the Supreme Council for Social Dialogue (Article 2).