Ed Marsal, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Workers’ Union and Head of the General Union of Workers in Agriculture, Irrigation, Land Reclamation, and Fishing, confirmed that the union has completed updating its members’ data in preparation for the upcoming union elections scheduled for 2026. He noted that the Ministry of Labor notified the labor unions about a schedule for updating data about a week ago, setting October 28 as the deadline for updating data of 27 unions, and October 29 as the final date for the General Union, thus covering all union organizations.

Marsal explained in exclusive statements to “Youm7” that the ministry granted a suitable time frame for unions to complete the update process. He pointed out that the update helps identify members who have reached retirement age, new young members, and recent joiners to the union organization, highlighting that this mix of youth and experience has enhanced union work interaction.

The Secretary-General praised the Ministry of Labor’s role, mentioning that the union sent a letter of thanks to Minister Mohamed Gabrán in appreciation of the ministry’s flexibility and cooperation in managing the update process for all unions.

Regarding the next phase after the update deadline on October 29, Marsal stated that the union will begin conducting educational and awareness courses for workers across all regions about the Labor Law, which has been in effect since September, emphasizing the importance of educating workers about the law.

He pointed out that the union, in cooperation with the Arab Labor Organization, is organizing a seminar on October 27 and 28 for heads of general unions and the board of the General Union of Egyptian Workers about the Labor Law, stressing that “the law needs practice.”

Minister of Labor Mohamed Gabrán had directed coordination between relevant departments and a company to quickly establish an “electronic program” to manage the new labor union elections 2026-2030, serving as a national database for these elections.

In preparation for the new union election cycle, Minister Gabrán issued Ministerial Decree No. 133 of 2025 regarding updating the databases of the three levels of labor union organizations, aiming to create a database that contributes to democratic electoral management for organizations capable of enhancing labor relations, increasing production, and participating in development.