AMMAN — Thousands of mechanics who work informally in the
car repair industry are about to lose their jobs due to pandemic-related
restrictions, while others have lost them already after the closure of
thousands of automobile repair shops.
اضافة اعلان
Jameel Abu Rahmeh, president of the Mechanical Professions
Syndicate, told
Jordan News that the situation is “dire”.
“In Jordan, there are more than 250,000 mechanics and more
than 175,000 car repair facilities and shops. Twenty to thirty percent of them
have closed, and we are expecting that that percentage to reach 50 percent and
more in the near future.”
“In
Irbid, in northern Jordan alone, more than 500 shops
have closed until now. Can you imagine what will happen if this happens to
shops in all governorates of the Kingdom?” Abu Rahmeh asked.
“If this continues we will suffer from a huge rise in unemployment
(and therefore) a rise in poverty. We need the help and cooperation of the
government. They have to find us solutions and they should also reconsider
trimming night curfew hours,” he said.
“I wonder why the government did not classify the mechanics’
industry as one of the most affected sectors from the coronavirus pandemic,”
Abu Rahmeh added. “It is highly affected, without a doubt.”
Three mechanics speaking on the condition of anonymity told
Jordan News that they are expecting to lose their jobs soon. “We just sit for
hours doing nothing. Most of the time no customers pass by our shops,” one
said.
Another worker added that “many of our colleagues have lost
their jobs and we are just waiting for our turn. Many shops have limited the
numbers of their employees. They used to have three or four employees, but now
one employee is more than enough for them.”
“We have not benefited from social protection programs
launched by the government and the Social Security Corporation as we are not
registered in it,” an anonymous mechanic claimed.
“We do not know what the future holds for us; all we know is
that we are scared. We need to work, we need this money, and with the rise of
unemployment in Jordan, we do not expect to find jobs easily,” he continued.
According to Abu Rahmeh, these mechanics have also been
suffering from the increase in bills. “They have to pay electricity and water
bills, and rent. They do not have enough money, yet no one has mercy on them or
takes into account their circumstances,” he said.
An anonymous source from inside the Ministry of Labor told
Jordan News that the government decides which sectors are the most affected by
the coronavirus pandemic through specific standards and criteria. “It is a
regular report that is published every month, overseen by the ministers of
labor and industry, trade, and supply, based on certain predefined criteria,”
the source said.
Shaman Al-Majali, a spokesman for the
Social Security Corporation (SSC), told Jordan News that many of the workers in the car repair
business have not registered with the corporation despite all of the programs
targeting their category. Therefore, they cannot apply for the benefits offered
by the SSC”.
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