TRADE unions could be branded terrorist organisations in Egypt following their inclusion in a draft law passed unanimously in the country’s parliament claiming to combat “money-laundering and fighting terrorism.”

The regulations extended the definition of “terrorist entity” to new categories including businesses and trade unions as Egypt redefined “the crime of financing terrorism.”

The law defines as a terrorist entity any association, organisation, group or gang set up “for the purpose of disturbing the public order, endangering the safety, interests or security of the community or harming national unity by any means.”

Under the amendments, trade unions could see their assets, finances and property seized and added to the terrorism list “even if the use of any of the resources mentioned above in financing any terrorist activity has not been proven.”

Journalists, opposition parties and public-sector workers are also threatened under the draconian legislation.

Egypt’s authoritarian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has moved to crush all dissent in the country. His regime sees independent trade unions as a threat to its grip on the country.

In 2015 the Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the right to strike was against Islamic teachings and incompatible with sharia law.

The pronouncement came just a day after Mr Sisi shared a Labour Day rally event organised by the pro-government Egyptian Trade Union Federation.

Its president Gebali al-Maragh drafted a “code of honour” that rejected strike action and committed the federation to dialogue with bosses and the government. He later said it was the role of Egyptian workers to support and implement the policies of the president in “fighting terrorism.”

In March 2018 independent trade unions were dissolved and required to reregister within 60 days; just 122 of 1,000 survived after the deadline passed.