Egyptian Center Wins Ruling Against Universal Compensating a Female Employee Subjected to Arbitrary Transfers for Six Times and Dismissed Twice
The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) has secured a court ruling from the Giza South Primary Court, awarding compensation to a female employee at Universal for Engineering Industries and Universal Service in lawsuit No. 499/562 for the judicial year 2024. The court ordered compensation of EGP 170,000 for unlawful dismissal, EGP 13,245 for the statutory notice period, EGP 57,392 in lieu of unused leave, and EGP 99,926 in unpaid wages for the period from April 2022 to February 19, 2024.
The claimant, Asmaa F. S., began her employment with Universal on March 8, 2008, in the role of Head of Investigations and Consumer Protection Negotiations. The company’s management acted arbitrarily against her by transferring her to six different branches across various governorates within a span of just six months before barring her from entering the last branch and unlawfully terminating her employment. This led her to file a lawsuit, No. 1111 for the year 2022, before the South Giza Labor Court, where she won a judgment for reinstatement and payment of her dues.
However, just days after this ruling was enforced, Asmaa was once again prevented from resuming her work on February 19, 2024. She filed a complaint with the Labor Relations Office in 6th of October City, and when efforts to resolve the dispute amicably failed, she requested that her complaint be referred to the court. The ECESR then initiated a new lawsuit on her behalf, which progressed through the court sessions until the final ruling was issued.
The ECESR’s legal team has achieved numerous legal victories on behalf of workers, obtaining interpretative rulings regarding workers’ entitlements and enforcing labor court judgments, which have helped workers recover their delayed rights and return to their jobs.
The ECESR commends the recent court rulings, alongside previous judgments in favor of workers, for being decisive and definitive in affirming their lawful and legitimate rights. These rulings send a strong message to other companies about the importance of adhering to the law and respecting workers’ rights.
Previously, Universal’s management continued its intransigence in paying workers’ dues in several factories, which prompted dozens to file lawsuits against the company. The management responded by unlawfully dismissing them without paying their entitlements, only for the workers to later obtain court rulings confirming their right to continue working.
In its ongoing efforts to protect workers’ rights, the ECESR secured new judgments from the Cairo Court of Appeal, 6th of October Circuit, marking a legal victory for a group of workers by rejecting the company’s appeals and amending the rulings to specify the value of the workers’ overdue entitlements during the litigation period up to the issuance of the rulings.
The ECESR has handled a total of 120 labor lawsuits, with half filed by the center’s lawyers as representatives of the workers and the other half initiated by the company against the workers. Various court chambers decided to consolidate the cases filed by each worker and the company into a single definitive ruling.
The workers have been suffering from irregular wage and salary payments, leading to production halts in the company’s factories. The management’s manipulation of wages has subjected workers to dire living and financial conditions, driving some to suicide or attempted suicide, among other crises.
Moreover, ECESR notes that wage manipulation is not the only crisis facing workers; they are also confronted with the absence of safety and occupational health measures in the workplace, which, according to testimonies, has led to several workers suffering from liver fibrosis, kidney diseases, and limb injuries resulting in amputations.
