The Jordanian Labor Watch called on the government to reconsider its wage policies in order to raise them in line with the Arab Labor Organization Convention No. 15 on the Determination and Protection of Wages, which Jordan finally ratified 40 years after its adoption.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Jordanian Labor Watch said that although the Jordanian government's handover of the ratification document to the Director General of the Arab Labor Organization was welcomed, merely ratifying the convention without raising wage levels and applying them fairly will hinder the implementation of the convention's provisions.
He also saw that the government's statement during the handover ceremony that Jordan is characterized by an advanced labor environment and keeps pace with progress in legislation that serves workers and preserves their rights contradicts its policies applied on the ground, where low wage levels and the lack of social security for about half of the workforce, as well as decent working conditions suffered by large segments of workers.
The Jordanian Labor Watch explained that the convention ratified by Jordan obligated the committee concerned with determining the minimum wage in each member state to review it periodically for periods not exceeding one year to keep pace with the standard of living, but the minimum wage in Jordan of 260 dinars has remained the same since 2021, and its increase has been postponed until 2025.
The statement pointed out that the Convention defines the minimum wage as "the level estimated to be sufficient to satisfy the necessary needs of the worker and his family, such as clothing, nutrition, and housing, to live at a decent human level," while the minimum wage in Jordan is not in line with the standard of living and inflation rates, which recently recorded an increase in 2023 by 2.08% compared to 2022.
The statement warned of the possibility of further increases in inflation rates in the coming period due to the ongoing Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip and the repercussions of the turmoil in the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb.
Article 52, paragraph (b) of the Labor Law stipulates that cost-of-living indices issued by the competent official authorities should be taken into account when setting the minimum wage by the Tripartite Committee for Labor Affairs, but this has not been implemented.
The convention authorizes member states to introduce a minimum wage system that may not be lower than the minimum wage and includes all categories of workers, according to the Jordanian Labor Watch, which questioned whether this would apply to migrant workers, whom the government exempts from minimum wage decisions.
The Jordanian Labor Watch stressed that low wage levels are one of the most prominent challenges faced by workers in the Jordanian labor market, as there are large sectors of workers who receive monthly wages below the minimum wage established by the labor law, in addition to the low wages earned by the majority of workers in the informal economy.
He pointed out that the failure to raise wage levels constitutes the perpetuation of a series of policies that are biased against the interests of the working poor and an expression of unjust anti-social economic choices that serve the interests of a limited group in society.
This also contradicts the pillars of the economic modernization vision announced by the government in 2022, especially the "improving the quality of life" pillar, which includes providing the necessary elements for a decent life, according to the Jordanian Labor Watch, which stressed that increasing wage levels is one of the most important elements that achieve a decent standard of living for workers and their families.
The wage gap between males and females in the labor market is still evident, despite the similarity of work requirements, nature, and job titles; women's wage levels are lower than men's in many sectors, especially in the agricultural and private education sectors.
The Jordanian Labor Watch warned that if wages remain unchanged, it would widen the base of poverty, deepen social and economic inequality, weaken citizens' enjoyment of economic and social human rights, and threaten national stability in all its dimensions.
The Jordanian Labor Watch called on the Tripartite Committee on Labor Affairs to discuss the agreement and conduct an evaluation of it to determine its compatibility with Jordanian labor policies and legislation and the needs of economic and social development.