Despite the assertion by members of the Labor Committee over the past weeks that the amended law is on its way to the dome of Parliament after it has been placed on the agenda of the special session, information has been leaked to the Jordanian Labor Watch that the government is in the process of repealing the Labor Law from the Council and once again placing it for consideration for amendment.
Anonymous sources stated that the Government is leaning toward repealing the amendments to the labor law not only due to pressure from civil society actors calling for its repeal, but also due to the Government's Economic Priorities Program, which includes amending the Labor Law in 2022. The adoption of the current amendments would mean that a new amendment will be passed in just over a year from now.
Moreover, it is expected that the special session of the Jordanian Parliament will be adjourned before the discussion of the Labour Law. According to sources within the Parliament, Wednesday’s session was the last of the session, after which a representative delegation of 25 MPs went to Iraq.
On this, the parliamentary observer and writer specializing in parliamentary affairs Jihad Al-Mansi predicted that the special session will be adjourned next week, unless the Senate returns one of the laws back to the Parliament Members.
Speaking to the Labor Watch, Al-Mansi ruled out the possibility of the labor law being discussed during the special session, noting that the House of Representatives may meet in response to the Local Administration Law, which could extend the period of the special session.
Walid Hosni, a journalist specializing in parliamentary affairs, said the Constitution does not require MPs to discuss all the draft laws on the agenda of the special session.
Hosni explained to the Labor Watch that the normal situation for previous national councils witnessed many special sessions that did not complete the discussion of all projects on their agendas, and at one point one of the special sessions was limited to discussing only one law.
He points out that the labor law may not be one of the most prominent requirements of the deputies to pass it at the special session, such as the Amman Municipality Law and local administration.
He follows by saying that the President of the Council can invite members for any meeting if the Royal Will does not issue a decision to reject the session, provided that it does not exceed 30 September.
Weeks earlier, during the special session, Jordan Labor Watch learned from parliamentary sources that the labor law draft, although announced by the competent committee, remained controversial about some of its provisions among the members of the committee.
This coincides with a campaign launched by the Organizations of the Phenix Center for Economic Studies, the Tamkeen for Legal Rights and the Workers' House to withdraw the amended project and open a social dialogue to amend the law towards ensuring international labour standards.
The three organizations confirmed in their campaign that the law had been distorted 12 times in 25 years, and today a comprehensive amendment must be made to ensure the legislative stability lost by the law, which has affected both employers and workers.