The Jordanian Labor Watch, affiliated to the Phoenix Center for Economic Studies, praised the raising of the levels of wages and pensions decided by the government last Thursday. The Labor Watch stressed that this finally constitute an important benefit on the salaries of workers and retirees, as their living standards have declined significantly over the past years.
However, a statement issued by the Jordanian Labor Watch called for the necessity to complete this path by significantly increasing the minimum wage, which has become an urgent necessity. Indeed, the minimum wage has remained at a low level of 220 dinars per month for nearly three years (33 months). This amount is not compatible with the high cost of living in Jordan, especially considering that, since the last amendment to the minimum wage, the rates of increase in prices became close to 10%. The statement finally stressed that the workers and retirees in the private sector constitute the majority in Jordan.
The statement emphasized that raising the minimum wage would increase the levels of medium and low wages in Jordan, improve the living standards, contribute to strengthening the social protection system, through a significant reduction in the numbers of poor people, and reducing social inequality.
Finally, the statement pointed out that raising the minimum wage will also contribute to stimulating the national economy for further growth, as it will increase the general demand for consumption of goods and services, increasing the rates of economic growth.