Aqaba Container Terminal urges end to employee strike, threatens lay-offs

AMMAN — Operations at the Aqaba Port are carrying on as usual despite an ongoing strike by Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) Co. employees, the company's chairman said Thursday.

At a press conference held at ACT premises, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Chief Commissioner and ACT Chairman Kamel Mahadin said Aqaba Port Corporation staff and some guest workers have been temporarily hired to work at the terminal, describing the strike, which began Monday, as illegal.

He stressed the importance of abiding by the law, noting that no party is allowed to exploit or threaten another to achieve its demands.  

Mahadin warned against the adverse consequences of the employees’ strike should it continue.

The contracts of trainee workers and other employees who are still under probation will be terminated within 48 hours unless they resume their duties, he said, noting that ACT will not pay wages for the days on which employees were absent. 

Moreover, the contracts of 40 employees who have been absent for 10 days now will be terminated, he said, adding that they will be replaced by guest workers under one-year contracts. 

Mahadin called on all striking workers to go back to work, noting that the company has agreed to the majority of their demands after a previous strike in June at a cost of more than JD1.8 million, under an agreement signed between the two sides. 

The company is losing JD300,000 to JD400,000 a day as a result of the strike, he said, highlighting other adverse consequences on the economy as a whole.  

The employees want the management to increase their salaries, pay them 15 salaries a year and include their parents in their medical insurance, among 23 other demands, according to ACT, which has more than 900 employees.

On Wednesday, Labour Minister Nidal Katamine referred the dispute between the company and the General Union of Port Workers to the labour court.

The ministry is seeking a legal resolution to the ongoing issue after several areas of contention failed to be resolved during the reconciliation council talks aimed at bridging the gap between the two sides.