Collective agreement signed to safeguard beauty sector workers’ rights

AMMAN — A collective agreement was signed on Thursday between the Beauty Salons Owners’ Association and the Freelancers and Services Workers Association “to grant beauty sector workers their basic rights,  which the Jordanian Labour Law had already granted to them”, according to the Jordan Labour Watch. 

“Collective agreements should grant employees extra incentives or privileges such as a bonus salary, not just basic employee rights,” Ahmad Awad, Jordan Labour Watch director told The Jordan Times. 

Meanwhile, Khaled Abu Marjoub, president of the Freelancers and Services Workers Association said that “the agreement is of great importance due to the ongoing violations that workers in the beauty salons are subject to”.

According to the agreement, a copy of which was made available to The Jordan Times, the two parties will seek to resolve any dispute that may arise between any worker in the sector and their employer, to give priority to Jordanian employees to work in the sector, offer employees a vocational training course to improve their skills and knowledge in the field. 

“Employees are entitled to their annual leave and sick leave, over-time pay, as well as official working hours,” the agreement added.

The agreement added that beauty salon owners should adhere to the minimum wage, as well as enrol their employees in a Social Security Corporation’s subscription and enact all the rights that the Jordanian Labour law granted employees. 

“Employees at beauty salons suffer from a lack of job opportunities, low wages, unorganised work, and the absence of security and job stability,” Suha Esam, a hair stylist, told The Jordan Times. 

Esam added that the sector is well-known for its high turn-over rate, which she attributed to the “terrible work environment that employees face”. 

The agreement highlighted the urgent need to have a signed contract between employees and employers, which will grant employees their rights as it will also have all the job specifications and tasks written.