Workers at the Eshidiya mines, which are affiliated with the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (PLC), have once again raised their demands for the repair of the road connecting the mine with the Eshidiya Intersection in Ma'an Governorate.
Stating that this road has been the site of numerous accidents resulting in fatalities.
Stretching for 25 km from the Mudawara highway (120 km), which connects Jordan with Saudi Arabia, this section of the road has deteriorated due to natural factors, resulting in potholes.
It is a narrow, one-sided road with many blind corners and inadequate space for parking. These factors pose a significant danger to all drivers, including the approximately 3,000 individuals who travel on it daily, including workers, contractors, and freight drivers.
Muhammad Qabaa, a worker at the mines, explained during an interview with the Jordanian Labor Watch that the company issued a tender last year to repair the road following a visit by the then Minister of Public Works and Housing to the mine.
However, the tender has not been completed, even though the company reached an agreement with several shipping companies to deduct 10 fils from each ton of phosphate shipped to cover the costs of road maintenance. Unfortunately, no action has been taken thus far.
Ali Nayef Jarrar, the head of the labor committee representing mine workers, stated in an interview with the Jordanian Labor Watch that the committee is actively addressing the issue in collaboration with the General Union of Workers in Mines, Mining, and Cement.
Jarrar highlighted that over the past twenty years, approximately 25 lives have been lost in accidents on this road. The most recent incident occurred two weeks ago when a worker from the mine tragically lost their life on the public road.