Unionists plan to sue fast-food chain management over delivery man's death

AMMAN — Unionists plan to sue the management of a fast-food chain over the death of a young delivery man in Amman during the snowstorm. 

Khaled Abu Marjoub, president of the General Trade Union for Workers in General Services and Free Vocations, said the fast-food chain should be held responsible for the death of Mohammad Abu Khadijah, who died while delivering an order from the restaurant's Shmeisani branch to a nearby hospital on Friday. 

Abu Marjoub told The Jordan Times over the phone Monday that the 23-year-old driver was forced to deliver the food, according to testimonies of his colleagues, who said he was threatened with dismissal from his job if refused to take the delivery. 

The lawyer representing the union will file a lawsuit against the fast-food chain at an Amman court on Tuesday, he said, adding the food company will be sued for forcing the driver work in risky conditions. 

"The car Abu Khadijah was driving was a small vehicle and not suitable for severe weather conditions and snow," Abu Marjoub pointed out, adding the international food chain violated the instructions of authorities that urged people not to leave their houses in the evening because of icy roads. 

The union president said the car Abu Khadijah was driving skidded near the Shmeisani intersection and hit another car, which prompted him to get out of his vehicle to check the damage to both cars. 

While he was talking to the other motorist, a speeding SUV hit the cars causing the death of both Abu Khadijah and 59-year-old Yousef Fashho, who was returning home from work, according to relatives. 

The death of the delivery man outraged Jordanian social media users, who launched a Facebook page calling on people to boycott the restaurant, while others insisted that the management should be held accountable for Abu Khadijah's death. 

The Jordan Times tried several times to contact the management of the fast food chain, but no one was available to comment.