Syndicate deems 300 journalists ‘non-practising members’ over unpaid dues

AMMAN — Over 800 journalists paid their subscription fees and pension fund dues before the March 31 deadline given to them by the Jordan Press Association (JPA). 

Dhaher Al Damen, a JPA council member, said those who did not pay, around 300 journalists, will be considered as non-practising members according to Article 14 of the syndicate’s law. 

Once the non-practising journalists pay membership subscription fees, which is JD50 a year, and all outstanding dues to the pension fund they will automatically regain the status of practising journalists, Damen said. 

Non-practising journalists are not eligible for any privileges or services offered by the association, such as health insurance, training or low-interest loans offered by lending institutions as part of agreements signed with the JPA, the syndicate council member added. 

Damen warned that if journalists remain registered as non-practising for five consecutive years, they will lose their JPA membership. 

Amendments to the JPA Law, which went into effect in mid-July 2014, stipulate that any member who does not settle all outstanding fees by March 31 of each year automatically loses membership.

Under the law, it is mandatory for journalists to subscribe to the fund, but they have the option to choose one of two categories.

The first category entails payments of JD10 per month for the first 10 years, JD15 per month for the second 10 years and JD20 monthly for the third 10 years. At the completion of the 30 years, members receive a JD180 monthly pension.

Under the second category, a journalist can pay JD20 per month for the first 10 years, JD25 per month for the second decade and JD30 per month for the third 10 years. Subscribers in this category will get JD300 as a monthly pension upon the completion of 30 years. After the completion of the first 10 years, subscribers can ask for early pension and will receive a smaller amount of the total pension in each category.