A press report prepared by the Jordanian Labor Watch, affiliated with the Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, revealed the occurrence of a number of violations of workers’ rights since the beginning of the pandemic in Jordan that led to the dismissal of many workers in beauty salons. This was due to the repeated lockdowns and curfews that have been often causing the closures of businesses or a limitation of their activities, along with the banning of celebrations and events.
The investigation documented numerous violations of workers’ rights in beauty salons, focusing on issues of weak social protections, absence of authorities and unions’ oversight, and lack of legal awareness of workers in this sector.
According to the General Syndicate for Beauty Parlour Owners, the number of workers in the beauty salon sector comprises 60 thousand people working in 12 thousand beauty salons (including 7 thousand men's salons and 5 thousand women's salons). The head of the General Syndicate for Beauty Parlour Owners, Eyad Samara, confirmed that most workers in this sector are not covered by social security and do not have health insurance. Therefore, they are deprived of all forms of social protection, as only around 20 percent of workers in this sector are covered by social security.
As the labor relations between workers and owners of different salons are not defined, some of them are included in social security, others are based on paid work, and a large part of workers are self-employed. Most forms of work lack legal contracts, and there is no application of employment standards in this sector in terms of a professional license.
The report indicated that the majority of workers in this sector are exposed to health risks related to the nature of the chemicals that are used, accompanied by a lack of awareness of occupational health and safety principles, due to the fact that the large majority of beauty salons does not apply the necessary health standards, and official controls over the salons' compliance with these standards are weak. In addition, the training curricula of cosmetic institutes and academies for this profession do not guarantee an appropriate explanation of occupational health and safety and related legal standards in their curricula, while they focus on technical skills only.
Furthermore, one of directors of a beauty academy confirmed to the Labor Watch that salon workers (especially in governorates other than Amman) do not rely on certifications, as these workers are subject to less control. Unless the worker wants to open her own salon, then they must issue a professional license, and the director of the Academy confirms that "this is the only case in which professional licences are required”.
Accordingly, the report recommended the necessity to reorganize the beauty salon sector to limit violations against workers and ensure the application of occupational health and safety standards in these businesses. Furthermore, it called for the implementation of strict measures to ensure the inclusion of workers in the beauty salon sector within the social security, which requires reforms in the subscription processes that take into account the nature of different work relations.
The investigation concluded that no official authority or union revealed the extent of the financial losses incurred by this sector, or the number of workers who joined the ranks of the unemployed. Nevertheless, the government found that the challenges that the beauty salon sector faced during the pandemic were enough to include it among the "most affected" sectors.