Jordan Labor Watch - Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies has called on the Jordanian Parliament to reconsider the proposed amendments to Labor Law no. 8 of 1996, after submitting a memorandum with recommendations and suggestions. Phenix Center described the proposed amendments - and the Labor Law itself - as being inconsistent with international labor standards, as well as Jordan’s legal obligations under several international treaties and ILO conventions.
Ahmad Awad, the Director of Phenix Center, said in a statement: “There is a real and urgent need to reform this law, and this reform cannot happen through partial amendments, but rather through comprehensive amendments which can guarantee the stability of labor relations in Jordan.
The memorandum included a number of proposed amendments to the law. Most significantly, it contained the following recommendations: committing to honor the human right to the freedom of association and lifting restrictions on the activities of labor unions, ending all forms of forced labor, issuing a unique mechanism for regulating workers employed in the agricultural sector and including them in the national social protection coverage, ending discrimination against migrant workers, and reforming a number of legal provisions that conflict with minimum standards for decent work.