Amendments to Labour Law urged

AMMAN — The Jordan Labour Watch on Saturday issued a statement calling for the amendment of several articles in the Labour Law, which is set to be discussed this week by the Lower House Labour Committee.

The Ministry of Labour was not able to comment on the organisation’s recommendations, despite several attempts by The Jordan Times. 

“The Labour Law shall be amended in order to enable workers to enjoy their economic and social rights, as well as to guarantee the stability and the sustainable growth of the Jordanian economy,” the statement said, noting the need to “bring the law closer to the international labour standards, the provisions and spirit of the Jordanian Constitution, and the Comprehensive National Plan for Human Rights”.

Regarding the minimum wage, the organisation recommended the amendment of Article 52 to make it compulsory to raise the minimum salary in an annual basis according to the inflation indicators issued by the National Department of Statistics. 

“The tripartite committee formed according to the current Labour Law has the authority to review the minimum wage and submit their proposals to the Council of Ministers even if they differ among themselves,” Director of the Jordan Labour Watch Ahmad Awad told The Jordan Times, stressing that “the minimum wage is currently set to JD220 — which is very low when compared to the high prices of the basic goods”.

Concerning the compensation for arbitrary dismissal, the Jordan Labour Watch suggested that the financial compensation shall cover one month per each of the years in which the worker has been employed by the company, in addition to a minimum wage of four months and other benefits stipulated on articles 32 and 33 of the Labour Law. 

The organisation also recommended the amendment of Article 31 on the restructuring procedures of business establishments, stressing that the Ministry of Labour shall approve any action aimed at the dismissal of employees before its execution. 

In regard to the constitution of trade unions, the statement called for modifications in Article 98 aimed at the abolition of the powers of the Lower House Labour, Social Development and Population committees to determine the professions and sectors in which the unions are to be established, stressing that “the article’s text violates the freedom of association”.

“This is one of our most important recommendations,” Awad highlighted, stressing that “the current law contradicts the international labour standards contained in the Human Rights Bill and the relevant international conventions”.

“The Jordanian Constitution explicitly recognises the right of workers to  form trade unions and it does not tolerate any restrictions in its exercise as long as the objectives of the unions are legitimate and peaceful,” the statement noted. 

Regarding the provision of daycare for the children of female employees, the organisation stressed its agreement with the model developed by the NGO SADAQA, which builds on the provisions of Article 72 of the Labour Law to require companies with over 20 female employees to provide daycare for their children. 

On November 2017, the Ministry of Labour renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SADAQA  aimed at implementing the National Framework for Workplace Daycares, developed during a session organised by the NGO and the International Labour Organisation. 

In a recent interview, SADAQA co-founder Randa Naffa told The Jordan Times that the framework “facilitates and expedites the licensing process of daycares through a one-stop-shop registration window, and it offers more than one model of workplace daycares, as well as incentives and support for employers who abide by the law”.

“The MoU is an important step forward in ensuring that workplace daycares become a public a good, both accessible and affordable to offer services to working families at large across Jordan,” the co-founder concluded.