AMMAN — Workers
at the
Aqaba Company for Ports Operation and Management returned to work Monday
after ending a strike following last week’s toxic gas leak, head of the Ports
Workers’ Union Ahmed Amayreh announced.
اضافة اعلان
The union ended its strike after a meeting with the
company’s newly appointed director general, Amayreh said, after some of the
workers’ demands had been met, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The union called on all employees to return to work.
Under the agreement, more safety measures will be
provided at facilities and cargo handling yards, alongside a JD30-bonus to
workers. Three percent of the company’s annual profits will also be disbursed
to workers. Other demands, however, were shelved.
A government investigation Sunday accused the
company’s management of negligence and the Cabinet approved the termination of
a number of top officials including the director general, who was replaced
Monday.
Meanwhile, the
Jordanian Labor Observatory (JLO) has
criticized the way the Aqaba Company for Ports Operation and Management had
dealt with the port workers’ strike that began a week ago, according to
Amman.net.
The JLO held the company’s management responsible
for the damage caused to the economy as a result of the suspension to shipping,
handling, loading and unloading, and other related work.
These remarks came in a statement issued by the
observatory on Sunday after measures were taken by the company’s management,
which has since been replaced, which saw them ignore workers’ demands and then
proceed to hire new daily wage workers to replace those on strike.
The JLO stressed that hiring daily wage workers and
ignoring the demands of its own employees violates the essence of international
agreements issued by the International Labor Organization.
It stressed the need for the government and the
Ministry of Labor to assume their responsibilities and respond to the demands
of striking workers, especially those related to occupational safety, in
accordance with the laws and regulations in force and relevant international
agreements, including Convention No. 152 and Convention 155 related to
occupational safety and health for workers.
Meanwhile, media consultant of the
Social Security Corporation (SSC) Shaman Al-Majali, said that the corporation may raise by 4
percent its work injury insurance on the Aqaba Company for Ports Operation and
Management for violating occupational safety mandates, Al-Ghad News reported.
In the event a company fails to abide by workplace
safety regulations, the SSC can raise its work injury insurance from the
standard 2 percent.
Additionally, the SSC can charge the company for the medical
expenses of every worker injured as a result of violated safety mandates.
Read more National news
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
