Jordan Labor Watch - On the occasion of the International Day of Social Justice, which marks the 20th of February, the Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies renews its call for the need to provide a fair and good working environment for all workers in Jordan, as well as enabling workers to obtain social protection. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the center called for the need to expand the social protection system to include all employees and enable them to enjoy their basic right to health insurance.
Pointing that although the provisions of the Jordanian Social Security Law are in line with the relevant international standards, however it still does not cover the health care of participants and retirees, the proportion of those covered by social security is still low, constituting two-thirds of the labor force, the statement stressed that large sectors of labor are not covered by any insurance system, especially those working in the informal economy, which is expanding continuously. The statement criticized the weak implementation of labor-related legislation, which has led to widespread violations against workers and many violations of labor-related laws. Many workers earner wages below the minimum wage of 220 JDS, and many workers suffer late salaries and are deprived of their rights on annual leave.
The statement stressed that many workers work more than eight hours, as defined by the Jordanian Labor Law, without obtaining an additional work allowance, workers of business enterprises especially small and medium-sized enterprises also suffer lack of occupational safety and health standards, which cause thousands of occupational accidents annually, resulting in deaths and injuries.
The statement pointed out that low wage levels are among the most important challenges faced by workers in the Jordanian labor market, taking into account the price levels of different goods and services, which led to the expansion of poor workers deepening social imbalances and inequalities, which are one of the most important features of the absence of social justice, explaining that the vast majority of wage earners do not receive wages that provide them with a decent life. According to the official figures issued by the Social Security Institute, 71% of wage earners registered with the institution receive monthly wages of around 500 dinars or less, and those who earn more than 1000 dinars do not exceed 3.4%.
The center said that there is an opportunity to amend the law towards the promotion of social justice as the Labor and Social Development and Population Committee are currently discussing the Temporary Labor Law of 2010 and they should amend certain articles to improve working conditions, which constitute freedom of trade union organization, as stipulated in the Jordanian Constitution. The theme of this year's World Social Justice Day is the theme of "Moving workers to social justice," referring to migrant workers. The Phenix Center stresses the need to develop national policies that provide a comprehensive normative framework for migrant workers that adopt a human rights approach to achieve justice, equality and a decent life for all.
Given that fair and clear policies of employment will have a positive impact on the working conditions of all national workers and migrants. The center stressed that the Jordanian legislative system lacks a comprehensive legal framework that recognizes the full equality of national workers and migrant workers in the field of human rights, despite the existence of texts that recognize equality, many of the exceptions in some regulations, instructions and decisions led to discrimination against migrant workers, thus promoting inequality, and constitute a ground and gateway for wider violations, for example the minimum wage decision is only applied to Jordanians, and domestic workers are denied from social protection within the social security system, although domestic workers are included under the umbrella of the Jordanian Labor Law.