Jordan Labor Watch - Sarah Qudah
On Monday, "Lafarge Jordan Co." workers declared that they were ending their open-ended strike and returned to work on Tuesday, after the company issued a circular affirming the importance of providing the necessary job security and stability and safeguarding workers' rights.
This circular occured after a meeting held at the Al-Salt Palace of Justice, in the presence of Lafarge Jordan’s Chief Executive Officer and workers' representatives, in addition to the judge presiding over Lafarge Jordan’s insolvency case, the Director of Human Resources of Lafarge Jordan, and others, to examine the workers’ motivations behind the strike that halted work at the factory and packaging lines in the Rashidiya branch.
The company confirmed in the circular that it would disburse the full monthly benefits of employees for the entire month of June, without the need for "any legal follow-up of employees based on the strike.”
The Company committed to avoid terminating the contracts of any of the employees except for by a court decision throughout the legal insolvency procedures. An internal "Honor Code” was shared between the employees and the management of the company, which was signed by the members of the General Authority of the Rashidiya factory.
The Honor Code pledge reads: "We, the undersigned, pledge that we are [all united], and that we will stop the production operations in the factory in the event that any action is taken against any employee [in violation of their rights] or if any employee's rights and employment benefits is infringed upon.”
Tareq Al-Fureijat, one of the coordinators of the workers’ strike, stressed the employees' determination to return to the strike again in the event of the company's failure to realize the agreed-upon conditions or in the case of any labor rights’ violations.
The employees of the General Authority of the Rashidiya factory had begun their open-ended strike, halting work at the factory and packaging lines, in early June, after the company’s initial refusal to meet their demands.