The Syndicates, Federations, and Professional Associations Affairs Committee of the Libyan Parliament held a meeting with a number of labour union representatives throughout Libya. They discussed the mechanism for establishing a unified National Federation of Libyan Workers.
They also discussed the possibility of “merging some unions, and verifying the legality of the procedures for establishing a number of federations in the country.” The Committee will study all proposals and submit them to the Parliament Speaker.
In December 2022, the Committee decided to cancel the decision of its Head, Mohamed Ali Amdour to approve a steering committee for the National Federation of Libyan Workers.
The members of the committee agreed to study union-related legislation, to come up with a legal for regulating their work. This law would serve as the basis for ending the dispute over the legitimacy of some unions.
They also agreed to form a joint committee comprising of a number of experts and advisors who worked in trade unions, federations, and professional associations to study the amendment of the union law presented to the Parliament.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.