AMMAN — Minister of Labor Yousef
Al-Shamali on Saturday said the government has provided extraordinary
facilitations to employers in all sectors and economic activities in an earlier
decision which commenced on July 4 and is set to end on September 2 this year, according
to Al-Ghad daily.
اضافة اعلان
The Cabinet in June issued a decision to
give foreign laborers a grace period to rectify their status
in the Kingdom until September 2.
Shamali contended that the Cabinet’s
decision was issued to reduce the financial burden on employers and help them rectify
their employees’ legal status during the grace period, including issuing or
renewing their work permits.
The decision also exempted foreign
laborers from previous fines and permit fees, as well as the fines for delay in
renewing the annual residency permit stipulated in the Residence and
Expatriates Affairs Law, according to the labor minister.
Ahmed Awad, director of the Phenix
Center for Economics & Informatics Studies, voiced his support for the
Labor Ministry’s decision, as it gives foreign workers the opportunity to
rectify their situation without risking arrest.
He said that he believes the
grace period to be a sufficient amount of time and called on the ministry to
intensify their inspections.
Furthermore, there is a need to study
the system of granting permits, Awad explained, as that can open the door for
self-employment.
Labor Ministry spokesperson Mohammed
Al-Zyoud, confirmed that the labor minister had issued a decision to simplify
procedures and speed up the completion of employers' transactions. In addition,
the ministry had extended their working hours weekdays as well as working on
Saturday.
He said that the ministry will carry
out a comprehensive inspection campaign across the Kingdom to crack down on
foreign workers in violation of the law, once the grace period ends.
The
authorities, in coordination with the ministry, will deport all those who have
overstayed their permit for more than three months.
Zyoud explained that the ministry’s decision
comes as part of an ongoing effort to determine the real number of foreign
workers in violation of the Labor Law.
Estimates place their number in the
range of 400.
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