Egyptian Ministry of Labor's overseas offices continue to provide crucial support to millions of Egyptian workers abroad.
The Ministry of Labor has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Egyptian workers abroad through its network of nine labor representation offices located in eight European and Arab countries.
These offices continue to provide protection and assistance to approximately 5 million Egyptian workers, totaling 4.048 million individuals, who are employed within their respective jurisdictions. This effort reflects the ongoing directives of Minister of Labor, Hassan Shehata, aimed at bolstering the welfare of Egyptian workers overseas.
According to the General Administration for External Representation, a division of the Ministry's Central Administration for International Relations, these labor offices have been instrumental in securing financial dues and transfers for Egyptian workers over the past four years, amounting to a substantial sum of 1.807 billion Egyptian pounds.
Additionally, they have facilitated nearly 279,244 job opportunities during the same period. Amidst their activities, the offices have addressed a significant number of complaints, with 17,763 cases being resolved amicably, while 3,680 complaints have been referred to the judiciary for further action. Furthermore, 1,281 complaints are currently under review.
The labor representation offices have also actively engaged with employers in host countries, conducting approximately 339,967 visits and meetings to address labor-related issues and provide guidance to both workers and employers. As part of their commitment to transparency and accessibility, the Ministry has updated the contact information for these offices, ensuring that Egyptian workers have easy access to essential support and assistance.
These representation offices serve as vital conduits between Egyptian workers abroad and the Ministry of Labor, facilitating a range of services including rights protection, dispute resolution, and job placement. Their continued efforts underscore the Ministry's dedication to safeguarding the interests and well-being of Egyptian workers around the world.
The Ministry of Labor outlined ten objectives in a report regarding the role of labor representation offices abroad.
The report highlighted the following tasks:
1. Studying and monitoring supply and demand dynamics in foreign labor markets.
2. Safeguarding the interests and rights of Egyptian workers abroad.
3. Providing technical guidance to labor representation offices to boost demand for Egyptian labor, ensure its protection, and preserve its rights.
4. Conducting necessary studies for establishing new labor representation offices in countries with high demand for Egyptian labor.
5. Participating in high-level and consular committee meetings with host countries and preparatory committees, as well as consular visits.
6. Addressing complaints from Egyptians regarding contractual relationships abroad, resolving them, and ensuring they receive their dues.
7. Coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address issues facing Egyptian workers in countries without labor representation offices.
8. Developing technical programs for visits by foreign and Arab labor ministers to overcome obstacles facing Egyptian workers abroad.
9. Drafting agreements, protocols, and memoranda of understanding with Arab and foreign countries regarding the mobility of Egyptian labor, monitoring their implementation, and working on their development.
10. Participating in the preparation and updating of databases for Egyptians working abroad and compiling statistical data on the size and occupational classifications of returning labor.
The report emphasized the Ministry's commitment to providing intensive training for candidates and reserves for labor representation office positions abroad before their deployment to work at Egyptian embassies in countries where such offices exist.
Among the initial courses they underwent were training sessions at the National Academy for Youth Training and Rehabilitation, as well as anti-corruption training at the National Anti-Corruption Academy.
Additionally, they participated in two training courses supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a training course for nominated attaches within the Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and Labour Mobility in North Africa (THAMM) project, implemented by the Ministry in collaboration with several entities to equip them for their future tasks optimally.
