The Official Gazette published, in its issue No. 41 bis (و) dated October 12, 2026, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s decree No. 3165 of 2026 on the work system and powers of the National Wages Council, which was announced on Monday, October 26, 2026. The decree obliges the council to review the minimum wage at least once every year, or whenever needed, in light of economic and social conditions, inflation rates, prices and the cost of living.
Under the decree, the council sets the minimum wage for workers in all sectors at the national level, taking into account the needs of workers and their families, the cost of living and productivity, and sets a minimum for the annual periodic raise of no less than 3% of the insurance wage, along with the rules for paying it in accordance with Labor Law No. 14 of 2025. The council is also responsible for considering employers’ requests to reduce or be exempted from the raise due to emergency economic conditions, and must decide on them within 30 days of their referral, notifying the relevant ministries of the approval or rejection.
The decree stipulates that the council meets at least once every six months, that membership of its subcommittees maintains a balance between the three parties of labor: the government, employers’ organizations and workers’ trade unions, and that its decisions are taken by a majority of those present, with the side of the chair prevailing in the event of a tie. The decree obliges the council to approve periodic, detailed public reports on the data it relies on in reviewing wages, and to establish a system to monitor the effects of the minimum wage on employment, inflation, poverty and living standards.
The National Wages Council had raised the minimum wage for private sector workers to 7,000 pounds ($144.93) per month as of March 1, 2025. The new Labor Law, whose raise article the House of Representatives approved on March 9, 2025, changed the annual raise from 7% of the basic wage under the previous law to at least 3% of the insurance wage.
Photo: Hossam el-Hamalawy via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
