Media Advisor to the Manpower and Immigration Ministry Haitham Saad Eddin said the minister was looking to giving workers in certain fields an official vacation due to the heatwave.
The categories most harmed are those working directly under the sun heat in open areas like laborers, he added.
Giving a general vacation is not reasonable as there are many who work in air-conditioned places. The Labour Law No. 12 of 2003, currently in force, does not include giving leave for employees due to high temperatures, Saad Eddin said, adding that this happens in a number of Gulf states, which witness continuous heat waves that exceed 55C.
Labor leader Magdy Badawy said giving certain categories that work on streets is a humanitarian demand in light of the heatwave.
Head of the General Union for Private Sector Workers Shaaban Khalifa doubted that the minister would issue such a decision saying the minister treats private sector workers as second class citizens.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
