Arab labour officials discuss means to unify relevant laws

AMMAN — Arab labour officials started a meeting in the capital on Saturday to discuss means to unify labour laws and standards in the region.

The three-day meeting, organised by the Labour Ministry in cooperation with the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO), features discussions on commitments by ALO member states to Arab labour standards, the role of those standards in protecting employees’ basic rights and the media’s role in spreading awareness on the matter.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamadah Abu Nijmeh said the meeting, titled “Arab Labour Standards: Reality and Ambitions”, is aimed at reaching advanced levels of Arab labour laws.

Abu Nijmeh said the meeting’s importance lies in bringing together “high-level” participants, including experts, government representatives, and employers from the Arab world, in addition to covering various subjects, research papers and studies that shed light on Arab labour standards.

“Jordan is looking forward to cooperating with the ALO, and to contribute to creating effective solutions to the challenges facing Arab countries... in regard to policies to develop joint Arab work,” he said. 

For his part, ALO Director General Fayez Al Mutairi said that unifying Arab labour laws is one of the most important goals that the ALO was founded to achieve.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Hamdi Ahmad, director of social protection at the organisation, said the legislative side of the ALO’s work aims at reaching similar levels of labour laws and social insurances then unifying labour laws and conditions in Arab countries.