"I worked in a dairy factory for two years for a monthly wage of 210 dinars ($ 296), from which I pay the rent of the house, accumulated debts, water and electricity bills, children's medicine and some basic necessities, and after 10 days of the salary I start the cycle of debts again, so there is no decent life, nor good nutrition for children. It does not meet the simplest living requirements. This is the case of Amjad Al-Yasouri, a worker with a minimum salary.
A wide range of Jordanian workers are similar in that. Here, a graduate with a diploma in nutrition, she works in a food factory and gets a monthly salary of 215 dinars ($ 300), even though her service exceeds two years in the same factory on production lines.
This is a young man who works in the field of services and gets a salary of 180 dinars ($ 256) despite signing a work contract in which he registered a salary of 220 dinars ($ 310), and between them a young man works in the morning in a chemical factory with a monthly wage of 204 dinars (288 dollars), and he works in the evening Selling coffee to passersby's cars to secure his marriage expenses next month.
The poverty line
The story of the minimum wage is determined by a tripartite committee formed from the parties to the work equation, and it consists of representatives of the Ministry of Labor as a government entity, workers, and employers.
The Jordanian Minister of Labor, Maan Al-Qatamen, announced a few days ago that the minimum monthly wage would be raised from 220 to 260 dinars (310-360 dollars) as of the beginning of this year, at a rate of 18%, after the tripartite committee for labor affairs agreed on this.
The minister said in press statements a few days ago that the Jordanian citizen needs no less than 700-800 dinars per month (980-1100 dollars), explaining that the salary of 220 or 260 dinars is not sufficient for the individual's needs, but it can meet a few of his needs.
An exception is made from the decision to raise the minimum wage for workers in economic establishments affected by the Corona pandemic, for a period of 6 months from 2021.
For his part, President of the General Federation of Jordan Trade Unions, Mazen Maaytah, says that the percentage of workers who earn the minimum is 20% of the Jordanian workforce.
Al-Ma`aytah added to Al-Jazeera Net that these wages provide for those who are paid the minimum living requirements, and this category is limited to unskilled workers who enter the labor market for the first time, and the average wages for skilled and trained workers ranges between 400 and 500 dinars.
Trade union leaders believe that raising wages would increase workers' purchasing power and improve their living conditions.
The decision to raise the minimum wage excludes workers in economic establishments affected by Corona for a period of 6 months from 2021 (Al Jazeera)
Between positivity and rejection
For his part, Fathi al-Jaghbir, the representative of employers and the president of the Jordan Chamber of Industry, described the step of raising the minimum wage at this difficult time as a "positive step" because it felt the difficulty of living conditions imposed by the Corona crisis on workers.
Al-Jaghbir added to Al-Jazeera Net that the government has prevented employers from laying off workers, so we will not witness a new wave of layoffs this year due to the increase in wages, but this requires an increase in growth and raising the rate of local growth so that it reflects positively on the economic sectors, with the need to review production costs The high quality in Jordan compared to neighboring countries, which makes Jordanian exports lose the competitive advantage. However, the Jordanian product is of high quality that maintains its reputation in front of other exports.
Employers oppose raising the minimum wage, because this would increase the financial burden on the economic sectors, especially those affected by the pandemic, and the matter would negatively affect workers, as many of them will be laid off to secure the increase in wages, according to employers.
Monitor compliance with the decision
In turn, Director of the Decent Work Program for Women at the International Labor Organization, Reem Aslan, told Al-Jazeera Net that it is important to determine the minimum wage according to international conventions, but it is also more important to monitor the implementation of this decision, so that those who do not abide by it are criminally punished, and through the work of the International Labor Organization during In previous years, with several initiatives, many complaints were received that some sectors do not adhere to the minimum wage, especially the private education sector in which workers, most of whom are women, work.
With the outbreak of the Corona pandemic and the accompanying rise in the rate of inflation, the increase in prices, and the decline in the purchasing power of the Jordanian citizen, the expected increase in the minimum wage will not constitute a real and qualitative addition to the income of the Jordanian worker, according to analysts.
Twitter activist Ahmed Awad Garde said, "An unfortunate agreement between the three production parties that poor workers in the private sector whose wages are less than 300 dinars will be deprived of old-age insurance for a period of 5 months, in return for implementing the government's decision to increase the minimum wage, which will necessarily lead to a reduction The value of their future pensions. "
An unfortunate agreement between the three production parties that poor workers in the private sector whose wages are less than 300 dinars are deprived of old-age insurance for a period of five months, in exchange for implementing the government's decision to increase the minimum wage, which will necessarily lead to a reduction in the value of their pensions in the future # Jordan
- Ahmad M Awad (@AhmadMAwad) December 21, 2020
Facebook activist Musa Al-Subaihi also commented, "The institutionalization of the minimum wage from both social and economic terms has become a necessity that precedes its legal institutionalization."