Private school teachers warned of signing agreements other than unified work contract

AMMAN — The General Trade Union of Workers in Private Education warned private school teachers against signing work contracts, financial guarantees or promissory notes other than the unified work contract that is specific to workers in private schools and kindergartens.

The union said in a statement on Friday that the unified work contract is the “standard legal document that regulates the relationship between teachers and private school owners”. 

The unified contract is also “the only one” that is approved by both the Union of Workers in Private Education and the Association of Private School Owners, the union said.

“The union has received complaints related to labour violations and attempts by some private school owners to avoid the strict legal conditions stated in the contract by forcing teachers to sign other contracts or financial guarantees,” noted the union statement.

“These are illegal and invalid practices which expose the violators to legal accountability,” it added.

Laila, a teacher in a private school who preferred her last name not to be mentioned, told The Jordan Times that the owner of the school she works at does use the unified contract that grants workers the minimum wage, but “he pressures his teachers to sign financial guarantees that force them to return a certain amount back”.

“On the surface, the owner is using the unified contract and paying us the minimum wage, because he does not want to get in trouble with the authorities. On the other side, however, these guarantees allow him to pay us whatever amount he likes,” Laila added.

The union called on teachers in the private sector to report complaints to the Ministry of Labour regarding any violations they are exposed to, and any other contracts they are forced to sign.

In their statement, it said that teachers’ wages are regulated by the defence orders issued regarding labour rights, and that private school owners “have no right to tamper with these laws and violate the rights of teachers”.

The contract period for the teacher is 10 months for the first year, and in the event that it is renewed or continued for a next year in the same school, the contract period is a full year starting from the date of the previous contract's expiration, according to the union.

Munther Sourani, president of the Association of Private Schools Owners, also called on private school teachers in a statement not to sign any guarantees or bills other than the unified contract, as it is “the official legal contract that is documented with the Ministry of Labour and approved by the two concerned unions, therefore private schools must abide by it according to the Jordanian Labour Law.”

The applicability of the law, however, is questioned by some.

Lara Samaeen, a former private school teacher, said in comment to Sourani’s statement that teachers are “willing to have their rights violated at the present time as having a reduced salary, in their view, is better than no salary at all”.

“It is one thing to write a law on paper and another thing to practically apply it. If a teacher were to report a violation, what would happen then? Dozens of teachers lose their job as the school is either shut down or the owner will find some way to fire them later on,” Samaeen added.