Jordan Times
Monday, March 20, 2006
New council to bridge
unions, gov't, private sector
By Sheila M. Dabu
AMMAN — Jordan is poised to have its first social
and economic council, according to Labour Ministry officials.
Minister of Labour Bassem Salem told The Jordan Times that after Cabinet
approval, this council will foster "social dialogue" between labour unions, the
private sector and the government.
Furthermore, the council will advise the government on important social and
economic issues, he added.
The concept of social dialogue was one of the major issues discussed at the 33rd
Arab Labour Conference in Rabat, Morocco, held last month.
During the event, Jordan and Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding to
organise movement of labour from Egypt to the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in response to His Majesty King Abdullah's recent push for vocational
training, Labour Ministry Secretary General Majed Habashneh said the Labour
Ministry will work in parallel with National Agenda recommendations in order to
restructure the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) and enable it to "provide
the required training for Jordanians and fulfil the needs of the private sector
and investors in Jordan."
During a meeting with leaders of the Bani Hamida and Bani Abbad tribes earlier
this month, King Abdullah said a large number of university graduates are
unemployed because they hold degrees in fields unwanted in the labour market.
"It's unreasonable that all study humanitarian and scientific disciplines at a
time when the market lacks skilled workers and technicians," the King told the
tribal leaders.
At another meeting with tribal leaders and notables from Al Ajarmeh, Al
Thawabieh and Bliwi tribes last week, the Monarch reiterated the importance of
vocational training and the involvement of young people in such programmes.
With the national unemployment rate estimated at 14.2 per cent, some experts
pinpointed a potential target area: The shortage of technicians, craftsmen and
skilled and semi-skilled workers in the labour market.
Habashneh told The Jordan Times that the Labour Ministry would continue its
partnership with the private sector, launched in September with agreements
between the ministry, the VTC, and private companies that will employ Jordanians
after they complete their VTC training in construction, textiles, hospitality,
agriculture and IT.
He added that the largest companies in these industries will be involved in the
plan.
"We need to continue to build a strong partnership between the private sector
and public sector. With this in place, we can tackle the issues of poverty and
unemployment in Jordan. We believe it is the private sector's responsibility for
job creation and investment," Habashneh said.
These efforts include recently coordinating their labour offices with the
national employment centre in Amman and working with the Turin International
Training Centre, the labour official said.