ILO study paves way for revising wages of Egypt’s jasmine pickers

CAIRO, Egypt (ILO News) - In a milestone move for Egypt’s jasmine sector, wages for jasmine pickers are set to rise following an inclusive social dialogue led by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The discussions of 19 June 2025 were held under the framework of the project Accelerate the Elimination of Child Labour, Improving Working Conditions and Empowering Families in Jasmine Supply Chain in Egypt (ACCEL Egypt – Harvesting the Future), funded by the Fair Labor Association.

Stakeholders reached broad consensus to align wages with the real cost of living — an important step toward improving family incomes, reducing child labour, and promoting gender equality in the jasmine sector.

In Gharbia Governorate, jasmine farming relies heavily on informal labour — often involving women and children — who face unstable and inadequate wages. Globally, many informal workers still earn far below the cost of living, limiting access to basic needs such as food, housing, healthcare, and education. A living wage is key to reducing poverty and ensuring dignity.

To improve income security and working conditions, ACCEL Egypt – Harvesting the Future conducted a comprehensive Living Wage study, aligned with international standards and reflecting both workers’ needs and economic sustainability.

The study’s data collection process was inclusive: structured surveys targeted jasmine-picking households, while focus group discussions engaged women, youth, men, employers, and supply chain actors — ensuring workers’ voices shaped the analysis.

In April and May 2025, equipped with the assessment’s findings, tripartite dialogue sessions in Cairo convened a wide coalition of stakeholders, including government ministries, CAPMAS - Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics-, the National Council for Women, employers, processors, farm owners, workers’ organizations (including the Egyptian Trade Union Federation and the Small Farmers Association), unions, international partners, academic experts, and civil society organizations.

A key outcome of the study and meetings has been a unified per-kilo pricing agreement across processors and pickers – long requested by workers - to ensure fairness, transparency, and wage stability. Conducting the study before the harvest study also allowed the new wage rates to take effect immediately.

Because jasmine harvesting is seasonal, low or unstable wages have often led families to rely on child labour during the jasmine peak periods. By securing fair wages, the project aims to ease this pressure and help prevent child labour. Final validation sessions are underway to finalize wage levels for the 2025 harvest.

Marwa Salah, Project Manager of child labour projects at the ILO Cairo Office, said:
“Ensuring a living wage for jasmine pickers improves family wellbeing and reduces reliance on child labour. Social dialogue is a key tool to address its root causes. When families can meet their basic needs, children gain better opportunities for education and growth.”

ACCEL Egypt – Harvesting the Future contributes to Egypt’s National Action Plan (2018–2025) to combat child labour by tackling root causes, improving income security, promoting decent work, expanding education, and strengthening child protection systems.

© ILO

© ILO