The Egyptian parliament approved a bill that would directly dismiss drug addicts from their job, in an attempt to reduce accidents in the transportation sector.
The Public Prosecution investigated two recent train accidents, and it showed that the drivers and workers involved in the accidents were drug users, which sparked a wave of public criticism.
The government amended job requirements, saying the draft law aims to terminate the employment of some workers proven to use narcotic substances on the job.
It provides explicit legal texts that can dismiss employees who were proven to have consumed narcotics while working.
The government also stated that it aims to protect public facilities and citizens from the danger that drug abusers may cause in their jobs and expand the scope of application of the law.
It allows employers to impose the dismissal penalty directly with the force of law without referring to the court.
In April, the Egyptian prosecutor charged employees and drivers in the railway sector with fraud, drug abuse and negligence, as part of the probe of the train collision in Sohag that killed 20 people and wounded about 200 others.
The draft law differentiates between therapeutic narcotics and addiction-motivated use.
The amendment allows arbitrary drug testing of employees. In case of a positive test, the employee will have the opportunity to appeal to the Forensic Medical Authority to examine the sample or sign a medical analysis.
