CAIRO: In what an NGO described as a “fresh victory” for the issue of wages in Egypt, the Cairo Administrative Court issued a ruling Tuesday obliging the government to set a minimum wage in line with the cost of living. The ruling upholds an earlier administrative court verdict issued in May that found that the National Wages Council established under the Labor Law passed in 2003 must set a minimum wage applicable in both the public and private sectors. Since 1984 the official minimum wage has stood at LE 35 per month. Khaled Ali, director of the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), said in a statement that the government must now set the minimum wage at a level that will ensure a “life of dignity” for workers. “I hold the National Democratic Party (NDP) fully responsible for the suffering of workers and citizens. The NDP held its annual conference last year under the slogan ‘For Your Sake.' The year ended and they've done nothing except attack social justice and makes things even easier for the rich and businessmen,” Ali is quoted as saying in the statement. According to the ECESR statement, it is rumored that the National Wages Council will convene an emergency meeting on Oct. 28.
