Court of Appeal Upholds Judgment Ordering Al-Ghad Newspaper to Pay EGP 96,000 to Unlawfully Dismissed Journalist and Recognize His Length of Service

The Cairo Court of Appeal, Labour Circuit (13), has rendered its judgment in Appeal No. 2911 of Judicial Year 142, in favor of journalist Wesam M. A. against the legal representative of Al-Ghad Newspaper. The Court upheld the judgment previously issued by the Specialized South Cairo Labour Court, while amending it to recognize and include the claimant’s full period of service. The Court further ordered the newspaper to pay the claimant EGP 96,000 as the cash equivalent of his annual remuneration for 2023, in addition to EGP 75 in legal costs for attorney’s fees.

The case was brought by the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) on behalf of the journalist in 2023. According to the statement of claim, the claimant had been employed by Al-Ghad Newspaper under an open-ended employment contract as a staff journalist (editor) and received a monthly salary of EGP 8,000.

The newspaper subsequently prevented the claimant from performing his duties and failed to remit the mandatory social insurance contributions due in respect of his period of employment. As a result, the claimant filed a complaint with the competent Labour Office.

After amicable settlement proceedings proved unsuccessful, the claimant commenced legal action seeking recognition of his continuous period of service with Al-Ghad Newspaper from the date he commenced employment in 2006 until 2023. He also sought an order requiring the defendant newspaper to pay EGP 96,000 as the cash equivalent of his annual remuneration for 2023.

The Cairo Court of Appeal ultimately upheld the judgment of the court of first instance, as amended, recognizing the claimant’s full period of service and ordering Al-Ghad Newspaper to pay him EGP 96,000 as the cash equivalent of his annual remuneration for 2023, together with EGP 75 in attorney’s fees.