AMMAN — Workers in restaurants preparing
traditional meals urged the government to accept their call to raise their
price ceilings, in view of a rise in production costs following the
COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
اضافة اعلان
Last month, the
Jordanian Union of Restaurants and Confectionery Proprietors called on the government to raise the prices of
traditional meals by 30 to 40 percent, equivalent to 200 fils, but insisted
that that it did not “want to infringe on the peoples’ livelihood”.
During an emergency meeting to determine the extent
of the damage sustained by providers of traditional foods and the next steps
needed to “manage” prices, the union also called on the government to exempt
traditional restaurants from paying fees on purchases, raise customs and sales
tax on imported frozen chicken, and exempt animal feed from customs duties.
It called for setting price ceilings on suppliers
and passing measures to combat monopolies.
The union also called on the government to direct
the
Social Security Corporation to cap monthly deduction rates from restaurant
owners, in addition to stopping legal procedures against establishments
operating in the sector, while giving them an opportunity to correct their
conditions.
On Wednesday, Shawarma stand worker Mohammad Ghaith
said the profit generated by the restaurants preparing traditional meals “is
almost non-existent”.
“The significant increase in foodstuff prices
depleted our profit,” he explained.
He said that restaurant owners have “considerable
obligations and commitments, including rent, bills, and salaries, but what made
the situation worse for them is the increase in foodstuff prices.”
Ahmad Hatem, another restaurant worker, said that
the absence of profit “greatly affects workers, like myself”.
He explained that restaurant owners may be forced to
scale back on staff and other expenses, which may “force them to dismiss
workers”.
“The economic situation is still precarious, and we
are aware of this, and that is why we demand a reasonable price hike that helps
restaurant owners to stand on their feet back again, but in such a way that
would not affect the people,” he added.
However, man-in-the-street insisted that salvaging
the traditional restaurant business should not come out of people’s pockets.
Ali Sbeihi said that hiking the prices “is not an
appropriate solution because many people will be reluctant to frequent these
restaurants.”
“Generally, there is a weakness in the people’s
purchasing power, and what is happening to restaurants and other businesses is
not the people’s fault.”
“The government should find a solution out of the
economic crisis,” he said.
Amer Yaseen said that “priorities have changed, and
eating in restaurants is no longer a priority for the majority of citizens, as
it used to be in the past.”
“The difficult economic conditions and the
fluctuation in the political situation in the world require citizens to
preserve their money in anticipation of any emergency,” he speculated.
Omar Al-Awwad, the head of the Jordanian Union of
Restaurants and Confectionery Proprietors, said that “the prices of restaurant
meals are expected to rise soon”.
He said that a “satisfactory solution will be
reached between the union and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply,” but
did not elaborate further on the reason for his optimism.
He threatened escalatory steps, if restaurants were
not allowed to increase their prices.
“In the event that the talks fail, and I rule that
out, we will take some steps to escalate the situation,” he said. He said by
law, “we are allowed to file a case against the ministry and we are allowed to
hold a sit-in at the door of the ministry until we reach a solution.”
According to Awwad, it is early to discuss the
escalatory steps further. “I am sure that there will be a solution that will
satisfy the union, the ministry and the consumer.”
The head of the Public Services Committee in the
Senate, Mustafa Hamarneh, told
Jordan News that “the demands of
restaurant owners were summed up in raising the limits of the pricing list for
the meals they serve.”
“This was rejected by the Ministry of Industry and
Trade because of its impact on consumers,” he said.
According to Al-Mamlaka TV, the head of the Amman
Chamber of Commerce, Khalil Haj Tawfiq, spoke of “solutions” to deal with the
demands of raising the prices of meals in traditional restaurants, in light of
the significant increase in food prices globally.
Tawfiq said that a meeting was held on Saturday,
with “thousands of owners of traditional restaurants in the presence of the
secretary-general of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply and the
technical team of the ministry concerned with studying costs and prices.”
“Following the meeting, a technical committee was
formed on Tuesday to reach consensus on the prices of meals in these
restaurants,” he said.
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