The Tadamon coalition, a group of 36 anti-civil service law syndicates and independent unions, has started to gather signatures of MPs to submit their alternative civil service draft law to parliament, Wael Tawfik Media Coordinator at Tadamon Coalition told Daily News Egypt in phone interview on Sunday.
Sixty-seven MPs have signed so far, out of 80 required signatures in order to present the coalition’s suggested draft law to parliament for discussion. Tawfik said that the number of signatures gathered so far indicates that, hopefully, they will soon be able to present their self-drafted law to parliament.
The government’s civil service draft law was discussed by the parliament twice in the same legislative semester, which is considered unconstitutional. Thus, the coalition sent a legal warning to parliamentary speaker Ali Abdul Aal.
Last week, the workers General Petroleum Authority organised two rallies to protest continuing their work if the government’s civil service law, which prohibits them from financial rights, is passed.
The protesters claimed the Ministry of Finance rejected paying the workers their share of the profits for 2014, 2015 and the current year, whereby the ministry reduced employees’ salaries according to the dues they had received previously, according to independent newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm.
The civil service law was initially rejected in February for a number of reasons and due to its unconstitutionality. Its first article states exceptions for certain governmental authorities from implementing the law. It was resubmitted to the parliament later in February, following the harsh amendments by the ministries of Finance and Planning to prohibit financial bonuses.
The government’s draft law, which overhauls the system of salaries, bonuses and promotions across state institutions and authorities, was the only one out of more than 300 laws to be rejected by the parliament in February.
The rejection of the law prompted immediate criticism from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as the government strongly advocated for the law as an integral part of the government’s reformation plan.
