Egypt

HRDO Center criticizes new Civil Service Law

The HRDO Center to Support Digital Expression issued a statement Sunday objecting to the new Civil Service Law, saying it curtails the privileges of public employees.
 
The statement quoted rights activist and lawyer Khaled Ali as saying that the new law aims to decrease the number of public employees from seven million to 3.5 million, which could have serious social implications.
 
The statement, however, did praise certain articles.
 
According to the HRDO, Article 13 will tackle nepotism, which stipulates that the appointment of an employee shall be upon a decision by the President of the Republic or his authorized representative and shall be based on competency and efficiency.
 
A periodic evaluation of employees' performances, stated in Article 25, will also encourage competition between workers.
 
Other articles in the new law are considered controversial, however, and may even be deemed unconstitutional.
 
The statement criticized the law for not specifying maximum and minimum wage rates, as well as not allowing employees to receive gifts that exceed LE300, which the statement described as "legalized bribery" as the amount is still too high to be acceptable.
 
Another questionable element to the new Civil Service Law is the fact that it does not link scientific or educational degrees with appropriate salaries.
 
The statement also criticized that fact that the new law is not being applied to "sovereign bodies", such as the presidency, the Cabinet and other ministries. 
 
The HRDO Center called for a suspension of the law until the House of Representatives is elected to discuss it. It also requested that the government abide by international standards regarding public employee wages.
 
A large protest by public employees who are against the law is planned for Saturday, September 12, 2015.

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