Twelve hours at the workplace is the ceiling

The new Labour Law tightened protections around hours and pay.

The twelve-hour ceiling

In all cases, the total time a worker spends at the workplace must not exceed twelve hours, except under exceptional circumstances justified by the need for additional work or the time required to complete a task.

Note that this is time at the workplace, not just working time.

Rest days

If work takes place on a rest day, the worker is entitled to:

• An additional day's wage as compensation
• An alternative rest day within the following week

Both are owed.

Public holidays

You may choose between overtime pay or a compensatory day off. If you take the day, it must be requested in writing and recorded in your employment file.

Ask for that record — it is your evidence.

Wage logs and deductions

Employers must maintain detailed wage logs and ensure lawful deductions that never breach minimum wage protections.

The law caps wage deductions and mandates fair pay timing, protecting employees' financial stability.

Unauthorised absence

The new law addresses how unauthorised absence is treated, so the rules around it are now more explicit than before.

Social insurance

One of the four contract copies goes to the social insurance authority, which ties your registration to your contract directly.

That linkage makes it harder for an employer to employ you without registering you.

The training levy

Reduced from 1% to 0.25% on employers — a business-facing measure rather than a worker entitlement, but part of the same reform package.

Enforcement

Violations attract fines from EGP 5,000 to EGP 20,000, doubling for repeat offences.

Criminal penalties including imprisonment were abolished in favour of proportional financial fines.

The labour courts

Each includes a dedicated enforcement office and a judge who can issue urgent orders — including enforcing partial wage payments during litigation.

If wages are being withheld while a dispute runs, that power is directly relevant.