Jordan: Jordan Labor Watch Calls for Amendments to the Labor Code

The Jordan Labor Watch has called for an in-depth amendment of the Labor Code in order to 'rectify the deficiencies in the code for a few months and the lack of fundamental rights'.

In a statement, the Jordan Labor Watch said that the amendments proposed by the government are all outside the scope of the disputed articles to which civil society, trade unions and experts have called for revision. He added that the majority of the recently announced amendments aim at strengthening the prerogatives of the Ministry of Labor in his capacity as government representative in several cases and especially that relating to the expulsion of foreign workers when, normally, it is a question of a matter which falls within the specialty of the judicial authority.

The statement explained that some amendments have priority, especially the amendment of an article which aims to deprive workers of their right to collective bargaining with employers of an enterprise employing more than 25 employees (at least twice a year). The current law restricts the right of workers to the formation of unions.

The Jordan Labor Watch also noted that the law gives the Minister of Labor the right to classify industries and economic activities, where the right to trade union formation is granted, which is contrary to international trade union norms and the international convention of economic and social rights ratified by Jordan for twelve years.

The Minister of Labor, Nidhal Bttaynia, recently declared that among the important amendments of the Labor Code, include the extension of the work permit (two years instead of one) and the increase of sanctions for those who employ irregular workers. The minister said in this context that 80% of foreign agricultural workers leave, in a few days, to other sectors dedicated exclusively to Jordanians.

Nidhal Bttaynia added that the sanction against those employing irregular workers was $ 353 and that the proposed amendments increased it to $ 14,000. The commercial and industrial sectors opposed the amendments and called on the government to cancel the new sanctions, especially those with agricultural workers and other sectors. The Jordanian government, on the other hand, has about 600,000 foreign workers in an irregular situation.