Al-Bashir Hospital delays paying salaries — workers

Bashir
(File photo: Jordan News)
AMMAN — Dozens of workers with Al-Methaleiah Company for Support Services, contracted by Al-Bashir Hospital, complained that the medical institution has failed to pay their salaries for the past month.اضافة اعلان

They claimed that payment deferral is recurring every month, despite promises by the Ministry of Health that their salaries will be disbursed on time. The workers complained that the delay is bothering their financial commitments.

“The Methaleiah assured us that it has nothing to do with the delayed payments, and urged us to talk to the Ministry of Health,” worker Mohammad Al-Rbeihat told Jordan News.

“It is not the first time that our salaries have been delayed,” said the worker, who works as an office assistant, photocopying documents, and helping with other minor administrative work.

“This case has happened more than once, and it is getting worse, especially since we have obligations, such as bills to pay, installments for banks or universities, which may impose fines on us in case we fail to pay them on time,” he explained.

He said that every time they delay our payments, “they ask us to continue working, and suspend any sit-in, or any other protest activities, claiming that our salaries will be paid.”

“But all that turns out to be empty promises and lies,” he added.

Alaa Nawwaf, a Methaleiah controller, said that the “service workers receive the minimum wage in the Kingdom, which is JD260, with JD20 are deducted as a social security allowance too”.

Although the pay is little, the Health Ministry allegedly delays payments, he said.

“These employees live on the little wage they earn, and have obligations to meet, just like other people,” he said. He noted that salary delays is “causing them serious problems, and added financial strains.”

At some point, he maintained, Methaleiah paid its workers five-month worth of arrears “from our own budget, given that the Ministry of Health constantly promised to pay their salaries, or pay the company’s dues, but to no avail.”

“These workers assist the hospital staff, and if they are absent from work for one day, that will complicate things for the hospital,” he said.

In the last few days, several workers staged sit-ins outside the hospital premises to demand their salaries, but they were dispersed following promises that payments will soon be disbursed.


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