New draft of Labour Law finalised - Shbeikat

New draft of Labour Law finalised - Shbeikat

12 May 2009
AMMAN - The Labour Ministry has finalised a new draft of the Labour Law that guarantees protection and job security for all types of workers, and the Cabinet is expected to discuss the bill during its weekly meeting today, Labour Minister Ghazi Shbeikat said on Monday.


In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Shbeikat said the ministry's ongoing inspection campaign was very successful in addressing the issue of illegal labourers who change the work sector specified in their work or residency permits.


He pointed out that the campaign, which is focusing on the construction sector, covered 190 institutions where 6,850 guest labourers were found in violation of regulations.


"Of this number, 1,160 were violating residency regulations, while 5,690 were in violation of the Labour Law," the minister said, adding that more than 3,000 of these workers will be repatriated.


Shbeikat also noted that the ministry has managed to resolve 250 out of 350 complaints it received against domestic helper recruitment agencies.


"The ministry has issued new regulations blacklisting companies that do not abide by the Labour Law with regard to the recruitment process of domestic helpers," he said, adding that companies found violating the law will be banned from applying for work permits.


Recruitment


Meanwhile, the minister noted that 1,214 out of 63,000 job seekers who applied at the ministry's recruitment directorates across the Kingdom, secured employment.


Noting that there are still 12,131 vacancies in 718 institutions, Shbeikat said the applicants refused these jobs for a variety of reasons such as location, salaries and the nature of the post.


In addition, the ministry is working on establishing a company that will be tasked with training and employing Jordanians for the agricultural sector as well as drawing up a plan to benefit from the University of Jordan's Institute of Agricultural Research, Training, Extension and Education in Deir Alla, which His Majesty King Abdullah inaugurated on the occasion of Labour Day.


"His Majesty King Abdullah's initiative to create 20,000 job opportunities in the agricultural sector will contribute to a large extent in reducing the impact of the global financial crisis on this sector, which is considered vital in addressing unemployment," Shbeikat said, noting that the unemployment rate during the first quarter of the current year stood at 12.1 per cent.


He added that the Royal directives to the government will motivate workers to enhance their productivity.


Earlier this month, the Monarch instructed the government to implement a series of measures to enhance the situation of workers and create new jobs.


In response to the King's directives, the government announced the formation of a socio-economic council comprising representatives of employers, employees, civil society institutions and the public sector to offer advice on effective steps that can be taken to enhance the situation of the Kingdom's labourers.



By Hani Hazaimeh and Petra

© Jordan Times 2009