AMMAN — The
Jordanian Labor Observatory (JLO) strongly criticized the government's decision
to reverse the Tripartite Committee for Labor Affairs' plans to automatically
raise the minimum wage based on inflation rates announced by the Department of
Statistics.
اضافة اعلان
The observatory stated that
the Tripartite Committee for Labor Affairs decision three years prior is
binding upon the government and that neglecting to carry out said resolution
constitutes a dereliction of its duty to safeguard the welfare of disadvantaged
laborers, according to AmmanNet.
According to the observatory,
the current minimum wage in Jordan (JD260) is roughly equivalent to half of the
poverty threshold for a typical household, which before the
COVID-19 pandemic was JD480 per month.
This value has risen in
recent years as a result of increasing inflation rates, it added.
In January 2020, the
Tripartite Committee for Labor Affairs decided to raise the minimum wage from
JD220 to JD260 per month. The plan was to implement the increase at the
beginning of 2021 and to automatically raise it in accordance with inflation
rates starting in 2022.
However, the committee
postponed the implementation to 2023, to be reviewed for the following three
years.
'Unlawful'The JLO confirmed that the
State Social Security Corporation's (SSC) decision to establish a new minimum
wage, which incorporates inflation projections for 2022, was lawful and correct.
The SSC announced Monday that
the minimum wage would be increased to JD271 from JD260.
Shortly after,
Minister of Labor Youssef Al-Shamali said that he did not expect the minimum wage to
increase this year or next year, saying it poses a "burden" in the
private and public sectors.
The committee, in response,
stated the government's reversal of this decision made by the Tripartite
Commission on Labor is "illegal and represents a disregard for the
well-being of poor workers".
This decision, it said, is
contrary to the government's vision for economic modernization, which includes
improving the quality of life for citizens.
"Increasing wage levels
is a crucial aspect of achieving this goal," the JLO added.
'Not socially
oriented' The JLO further warned that
this decision and others like it are not socially oriented and will expand
poverty, exacerbate social and economic disparities, impede citizens' access to
economic and social human rights, and threaten national stability on multiple fronts.
It urged the government to
reverse this recent decision and abide by the recommendation to increase the
minimum wage, as well as to re-evaluate its overall wage policy with the aim of
increasing it.
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