Labour Ministry to issue circular next week regarding May, June salaries

AMMAN — A circular will be issued in the next week regarding May and June salaries according to Defence Order No. 6, Labour Minister Nidal Bataineh said on Thursday.

Speaking during a press briefing at the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, Bataineh said that the circular will take into account the situation of the sectors most affected by the crisis, and the job security of Jordanian workers while reducing labour costs for the sectors most affected, especially those which are not required to work.

"We have recorded violations for a number of establishments that failed to pay March wages to their workers, despite our knowledge of their financial solvency,” he said.

In regards to complaints about non-payment of salaries, Bataineh said that the ministry is only responding to complaints received on the “Hemaya” platform. 

“A total of 237,560 workers have submitted complaints to the ministry since the beginning of the crisis, most of which are related to non-payment of wages; 222,166 complaints were resolved, constituting almost 94 per cent,” he added.

Starting from Sunday for a period of two weeks, the ministry will reopen the platform for foreign workers’ requests to travel based on the “large number of requests” it has received, he said, adding that the exemptions from fees previously announced will still apply.

For those who registered previously, the next steps will be announced within the next week.

Unemployment rates “will increase” due to the conditions imposed by the crisis, a problem being experienced worldwide, he said.

“Therefore, we are thinking about outside-the-box solutions, including marketing Jordanian competencies, redesigning the national framework for empowerment and employment and implementing a policy for the replacement of foreign labour with Jordanian workers,” Bataineh said.

He said that these steps will be under the constant supervision of Prime Minister Omar Razzaz within the phase of adaptation and recovery that the government is currently working on in partnership with the private sector.