Jordan: experts criticize raising work permits fees in the agricultural sector

Jordan – Experts in the agricultural sector rejected the recent instructions of the Ministry of Labour on expat workers, saying that it does not meeting their ambition and will result in exhausting the agricultural process and then eliminate the sector. They stressed that they stand against the leakage of agricultural labour to other sectors, however they said that the measures taken to combat the leakage should not be done at the expense of the agricultural sector, where it can be developed in partnership with the sector in a manner that is intended to. Director General of the Jordan Farmers Union Mahmoud Awran said that the Union submitted to the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Labour recommendations to solve the problem of agricultural labor, after the request of Prime Minister Hani al-Mulqi when they met to find a solution to the problem of recruitment, but the Minister of Labor Ali Ghazzawi did not take these recommendations”. He added that the recommendations included not raising the fees for the recruitment of agricultural labour, and keep it as it is currently, As for bank guarantees, it was recommended that any agricultural establishment (farm) with 1 – 20  workers should pay a bank  guarantee of only 5 thousand dinars, while the establishment of the number of migrant workers between 20 – 100, should pay a bank guarantee of 5 thousand dinars, while the establishment, which has 100 or more workers should pay a bank guarantee of 10,000 dinars.” Awran warned that  if the Ministry of Labour insisted on its conditions to implement a reform program they will protest in front Headquarters of the Prime Minister and then stop farming this year, calling on the government to take the recommendations that were submitted to the Prime Minister and Minister of Labour”.