An Egyptian minister has said a new version of a civil service law recently rejected by the country's parliament will be put forward to the chamber in a week's time.
Magdy El-Agaty, minister of legal and parliamentary affairs, said in comments carried by Al-Ahram Daily on Wednesday that only 15% of the legislation's articles needs amendment, while denying there is any dispute between the government and the chamber over the issue.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi earlier this week expressed dissatisfaction with the parliament's rejection of the law, urging the chamber to reconsider the matter for the country's own interest.
"The parliament and the government are holding talks to reach a unified solution," Agaty was quoted as saying.
He said that the government is now drawing up a new version of the law that will be referred to the chamber in a week.
The chamber voted down the bill last week, which aims to reform Egypt's mammoth civil service, as part of a constitutional two-week review of a slew of laws passed in its absence.
The bill, endorsed early in 2015, had sparked widespread controversy, as critics fear it could dramatically trim down Egypt's bloated public workforce of over six million employees. The government says it is important to cut spending on civil servants that consumes over a quarter of the government's budget.
