AMMAN — The
National Campaign for the Alternative
Labor Migration System released a statement on the economic rights of migrant
workers in Jordan to underline its demand for the inclusion of all migrant
workers in social security, freedom of movement, and financial independence of
migrant workers.
اضافة اعلان
The campaign demanded protection of migrant workers’
economic rights, related to a moratorium on the obligation of migrants to pay
employment fees, the elimination of wage theft, forced labor and other issues.
It cited problems faced by migrant workers, such as
their irregular employment through tourist visas, in addition to their exposure
to human trafficking networks.
It stated that the working conditions that a migrant
worker is forced into include slavery and long working hours. It said that may
expose the worker to various risks, or health problems, considering that the
laborer may not have health insurance, or if the work environment fails to
follow standard public safety rules.
Mohammed Al-Ajmi,
a Syrian sewer worker who has been working in Jordan for six years, said that
because of his “urgent need to provide for my family, I took up a job with long
working hours, and little pay”.
“It was the only option, and with time, I accepted
this bitter reality,” he told
Jordan News.
He pointed out that his “employer exploits him and
the other workers, and pressures us to work more than the hours agreed upon,
without paying us extra”.
Sayed Ismail, an
Egyptian who works in the
construction sector, said that he had a work contract in Jordan to work in his
profession as an agricultural engineer.
“But when I arrived in Jordan, the agreement was
broken,” he told
Jordan News. Instead, he said he was forced to work in
various construction sites under the contract he signed. He said that he and
his colleagues are constantly exposed to high risks, and work in unsafe
environment.
He noted that he also was obliged to pay a
“particular amount, through an intermediary employment company, which promised
me to secure a work permit for me in the agricultural sector”.
“Although it did not come true and (they) never
honored the deal with me, I am forced to pay the full amount I owe to the
company,” he said.
Rida El-Barashi, another Egyptian construction
worker, told
Jordan News that his need for money compelled him “to
endure the worst conditions in the working environment”. He did not elaborate.
Head of the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions
Mazen Al-Maaytah told
Jordan News that “international agreements for
migrant workers guarantee freedom of movement for the workers in all
countries”.
He said the agreements also stipulate that foreign
workers must be “treated like Jordanian workers in terms of the labor laws and
legislation, involving them in social security and providing them with a decent
work environment”.
He stressed the need to secure the “financial rights
of the workers, such as the value of their wages, and to ensure that they
receive their full financial dues, in addition to abolishing the sponsorship
system that must be applied to migrant workers”.
He said that trade unions worldwide ”strive to
achieve labor justice, and deal with the migrant workers with respect,
according to humanitarian and professional foundations and standards”.
Read more Features
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
