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Jordan - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

Amman

 

CLIMATE

Mostly arid desert climate with a rainy season in the west from November to April.

 

LANGUAGES

Arabic (official), and English, which is widely understood among upper and middle classes.

 

LEGAL SYSTEM

Jordan’s legal system is based on Islamic law and French codes with judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal. Jordan has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

 

CURRENCY

Jordanian Dinar (1 USD = 0.71400 JOD as of May 1, 2002).

 

JORDAN - COST-OF-LIVING

ERI's Relocation Assessor is a recommended source for cost-of-living data.

 

JORDAN - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

U. S. Embassy at Amman

P.O. Box 354

APO AE 09892-0200

Amman 11118

Jordan

Telephone: [962] (6) 592-0101

Fax: [962] (6) 592-0121

http://www.usembassy-amman.org.jo/

 

Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at Washington D.C.

3504 International Drive N.W.

Washington D.C. 20008

Telephone: (202) 966-2664

Fax: (202) 966-3110

http://www.jordanembassyus.org/

 

JORDAN - HOLIDAYS

JORDAN – LEAVE

Maternity Leave: 10 weeks – 100% of pay (paid by employer).

 

JORDAN - MINIMUM AGE

Labor law forbids children under the age of 16 from being employed, except as apprentices, and prohibits children under the age of 17 from working in hazardous jobs, including at restaurants, nightclubs, and jobs involving heavy machinery and toxic materials. Children under the age of 18 may not work for more than 6 hours continuously, may not work between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., and may not work during weekends, religious celebrations, or national holidays. Provisions in the labor laws do not extend to the informal sector, which consists of agriculture, domestic labor, and family businesses.

 

(Section 6.d. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Jordan – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

JORDAN - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

The national minimum wage is 80 dinars per month (approximately $114 80) for all workers except domestic servants, those working in small family businesses, and those in the agricultural sector.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Jordan – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

JORDAN - REMUNERATION

ERI's Geographic and Salary Assessors are recommended sources for international remuneration covering 189 countries.

 

JORDAN - REPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (2001, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE)

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

Workers in the private sector and in some state-owned companies have the right to form and join unions. Unions must be registered to be considered legal. Union by-laws limit membership to citizens, effectively excluding the country's approximately 1.5 million foreign workers. Over 30 percent of the work force are organized into 17 unions. Although union membership in the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU), the sole trade federation, is not mandatory, all unions belong to it. The Government subsidizes and audits the GFJTU's salaries and activities. Union officials are elected by secret ballot to 4-year terms. Although the Government cosponsors and approves the timing of these elections and monitors them to ensure compliance with the law, it does not interfere in the choice of candidates.

 

Labor laws mandate that workers must obtain permission from the Government in order to strike. Unions generally do not seek approval for a strike, but workers use the threat of a strike as a negotiating tactic. Strikes are prohibited if a labor dispute is under mediation or arbitration. If a settlement is not reached through mediation, the Ministry of Labor may refer the dispute to an industrial tribunal by agreement of both parties. The tribunal is an independent arbitration panel of judges appointed by the Ministry of Labor. The decisions of the panel are legally binding. If only one party agrees, the Ministry of Labor refers the dispute to the Council of Ministers and then to Parliament. Labor law prohibits employers from dismissing a worker during a labor dispute.

 

In July 300 workers employed by a sub-contractor of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) staged a sit-in strike to demand 11/2 months of unpaid daily wages. The workers, mostly Egyptian laborers, were constructing an intersection in Amman. The GAM, the contractor, and the subcontractor all claimed that the other parties were responsible for resolving the dispute. The strike lasted less than a week and the workers received all wages due. The case was considered closed at year's end.

 

During the year, the Jordan Cable and Wire Company reinstated 220 workers that a labor court ruled were dismissed illegally in 1999.

 

The GFJTU belongs to the Arab Labor organization, the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions, and to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

Unions have and exercise the right to bargain collectively. The Constitution prohibits antiunion discrimination, but the ICFTU claims that the Government does not protect adequately employees from antiunion discrimination and that the Government has dismissed public sector employees for political reasons. Workers may lodge complaints of antiunion discrimination with the Ministry of Labor, which is authorized to order the reinstatement of employees discharged for union activities. There were no complaints of antiunion discrimination lodged with the Ministry of Labor during the year.

 

The national labor laws apply in the free trade zones in Aqaba and Zarqa. Private sector employees in these zones belong to one national union that covers both zones, and have the right to bargain collectively.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

The Constitution forbids compulsory labor, except in a state of emergency such as war or natural disaster, and it generally is not practiced; however, foreign domestic servants, almost exclusively female, often are subject to coercion and abuse and, in some cases, work under conditions that amount to forced labor. The law does not prohibit specifically forced or compulsory labor by children; however, such practices are not known to occur.

 

d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment

 

Labor law forbids children under the age of 16 from being employed, except as apprentices, and prohibits children under the age of 17 from working in hazardous jobs, including at restaurants, nightclubs, and jobs involving heavy machinery and toxic materials. Children under the age of 18 may not work for more than 6 hours continuously, may not work between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., and may not work during weekends, religious celebrations, or national holidays. Provisions in the labor laws do not extend to the informal sector, which consists of agriculture, domestic labor, and family businesses.

 

According to the law, employers that hire a child under the age of 16 must pay a fine ranging from $140 to $710 (100 to 500 dinars). The fine is doubled if the offense is repeated. However, the Government did not provide training for government officials who are responsible for enforcing child labor laws and did not enforce laws regarding child labor during the year. All child labor enforcement responsibilities rest in the hands of 85 Ministry of Labor inspectors. Government officials claim that if children are barred from working in practice, they will lose important income on which their families depend, and may turn to more serious activities, such as drug trafficking and prostitution, for income.

 

In late 1999, the Ministry of Labor established a new division to deal with issues of child labor. The division was established to receive, investigate, and address child labor complaints and related issues. Assistance received from the International Labor Organization (ILO) and increases in the Government's funding for the Ministry of Labor during the year, allowed the Ministry to staff the division with 5 employees by year's end.

 

The Ministry of Labor established a child labor unit in late 1999, which is responsible for conducting national research on child labor, adopting both preventative and remedial measures, developing a database on child laborers and their families, and training and monitoring Ministry of Labor inspectors about child labor issues. With assistance from the ILO and increased funding from the Government, the Ministry has made progress in implementing some of the provisions of the National Plan of Action on Child Labor.

 

Financial assistance received from ILO during the year supported government efforts to implement the provisions of ILO Convention 182 on Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Government policy also facilitated the work of NGO's in this area. The Ministry of Social Development has programs to improve conditions for indigent children and to rehabilitate children who have committed petty crimes. However, there are no specific mechanisms for receiving, investigating, or addressing child labor complaints relating to allegations of the worst forms of child labor.

 

Anecdotal evidence suggests that child labor, especially of child street vendors, is more prevalent now than it was 10 years ago due to declining economic conditions. The law does not specifically prohibit forced or bonded labor by children; however, such practices are not known to occur.

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

The national minimum wage is $114 (80 dinars) per month for all workers except domestic servants, those working in small family businesses, and those in the agricultural sector. The national minimum wage does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The Government estimates that the poverty level is at a monthly wage of about $125 (89 dinars) per month for a family with 7.5 members. A study completed by the Ministry of Labor in July 1999 found that 18.7 percent of the population lived at or below the poverty level and that 1.5 percent lived in "abject" poverty, defined by the Government as $58 (40.5 dinars) per month for a family with 7.5 members. The Government provides minimal assistance to at least 45,000 indigent families.

 

The law requires overtime pay for hours worked in excess of the standard workweek, which generally is 48 hours. Hotel, restaurant, and cinema employees may work up to 54 hours per week. Workers may not work more than 10 hours in any continuous period or more than 60 hours of overtime per month. Employees are entitled to 1 day off per week.

 

The Ministry of Labor continues to enforce a February 2000 decision that required Egyptian workers to obtain work permits approved by the governments of both Egypt and Jordan. The Government also maintains its commitment to apply "more humane" criteria when deciding whether to deport Egyptian workers.

 

The law specifies a number of health and safety requirements for workers, including the presence of bathrooms, drinking water, and first aid equipment at work sites. The Ministry of Labor is authorized to enforce health and safety standards. The law does not require employers to report industrial accidents or occupational diseases to the Ministry of Labor. Workers do not have a statutory right to remove themselves from hazardous conditions without risking the loss of their jobs.

 

Labor law does not apply to the agricultural sector, small family businesses, or domestic servants. Domestic servants do not have a legal forum to address their labor grievances and have no standing to sue in court for nonpayment of wages. Abuse of domestic servants, most of whom are foreign, is widespread. Imprisonment of maids and illegal confiscation of travel documents by employers is common. Complaints of beatings, insufficient food, and rape generally are not reported to officials by victims, who fear losing their work permits and being returned to their home country. Domestic servants generally are not given days off and frequently are called upon to work at any hour of the day or night.

 

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

The law does not specifically prohibit trafficking in women or men; however, the practice is not known to occur. A 1926 law specifically prohibits trafficking in children. There were no reports that persons were trafficked, to, from, or within the country.

 

JORDAN - SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security Office of International Programs:

 

http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html

 

JORDAN - STANDARD WORKWEEK

The law requires overtime pay for hours worked in excess of the standard workweek, which generally is 48 hours. Hotel, restaurant, and cinema employees may work up to 54 hours per week. Workers may not work more than 10 hours in any continuous period or more than 60 hours of overtime per month. Employees are entitled to 1 day off per week.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Jordan – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)