Jordan Times
Tuesday, May 19, 1998
In surprise visit to professional unions, King declares new chapter in
union-government ties
By Francesca Ciriaci
AMMAN — His Majesty King Hussein on Monday met with the presidents of
the professional associations and later declared that a new chapter has been opened in the
strained relations between the government and the unions.
“We turned a new, bright page of cooperation and trust,” King Hussein told
reporters after an unscheduled two-hour meeting with the presidents of 13 unions, mainly
dominated by Islamists and leftists.
Relations between the unions and the government of Prime Minister Abdul Salam Majali
— who was present at the meeting — have been sour since last November, when the
80,000-strong Union of Professional Associations joined the Islamist-led opposition in the
boycott of the general elections. They cited the 1994 peace treaty with Israel and what
they termed as “a steady erosion of parliamentary authority and the lowering of the
ceiling of public freedoms” among the reasons behind the boycott.
During yesterday's meeting, the King called on union presidents to exert “serious
efforts to build the future and deal with reality in a vigilant and responsible
manner,” the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
“One should not belittle the achievements of this country,” Petra quoted the
King as telling union leaders, while stressing the importance of “continuous
dialogue” between the government and all components of civil society.
The King called on the professional associations, traditionally a hotbed for the
opposition, to focus their programme on raising standards and efficiency of the
professions, before anything else.
Petra quoted the King as expressing hope that the unions will serve as institutions to
qualify and train young generations of professionals who will usher the Kingdom into a
brighter future.
Responding to the unions' opposition to the 1994 peace treaty with Israel and
normalisation of ties with the Jewish state, the King stressed that peace is a strategic
option for Jordan.
“We must learn from the suffering that we endured in the past five decades, and from
the 1967 and 1973 wars, unprepared and ill-planned steps that the Arabs took without an
accurate analysis of the circumstances,” Petra quoted the King as saying during the
meeting.
The King said that Jordan took part in those wars out of its national commitment and duty
towards the nation, despite the fact that it was not informed of the plans for the 1973
war.
“We went to Madrid with Arab consensus, and provided the Palestinians with an
umbrella that enabled them to take part in the conference,” the King said, in
reference to the 1991 peace conference.
King Hussein reiterated Jordan's commitment to “stand by the Palestinians until they
gain their rights on their national soil.”
The King expressed satisfaction with the U.S. commitment to peace, based on U.N.
Resolutions 242 and 338, and on the principle of land-for-peace.
He pointed out that Jordan has been exerting all possible efforts through its contacts
with the U.S. and other U.N. Security Council members for the termination of the crippling
sanctions against Iraq, punished by the international community for its 1990 invasion of
Kuwait.
Petra reported that the King also told union leaders that Jordan supported all efforts to
restore Arab solidarity and settle differences between Arab countries.
Union leaders said King Hussein's visit to their headquarters yesterday, the first ever,
gave them a great deal of hope that an open and frank dialogue with the government will
solve outstanding issues between the two sides, including a much-awaited draft law to
govern the associations' activities and organisation.
The King, who was accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Hassan and Royal Court Chief Fayez
Tarawneh, described the discussions as “very open and constructive.”
“His Majesty gave us assurance that he will look into our requests,” said Hosni
Abu Gheida, chairman of the Council of Presidents of the unions.
“We [represent] 13 associations, each of them with its problems and ideas that will
be presented to His Majesty very, very soon,” Mr. Abu Gheida, who is also the
president of the 38,000-strong Jordanian Engineers Association, told the Jordan Times.
A heated debate between the government and the professional associations was sparked by
the government's intention to regulate their organisation and activities, by dropping the
mandatory membership in the unions.
In his Speech from the Throne opening the current 13th Parliament late November, the King
entrusted Dr. Majali with modernising and developing the professional associations.
Changes to the professional associations law were expected to make membership in the
unions voluntary, separate public and private sector members, and appoint a government
official to supervise the activities of each association. Union leaders have rejected such
proposals as aimed to “depoliticise” the professional associations.
But “the prime minister was there [at the meeting with the King], and we were assured
that no law will be drafted without being openly and thoroughly discussed with the
associations,” Mr. Abu Gheida told the Jordan Times.
Accepting an invitation by Mr. Abu Gheida to meet with union leaders, King Hussein said on
the occasion of celebrations for the 45th anniversary of the assumption of his
constitutional powers, on May 3, that the government and the unions needed to reach
“a consensus which will give us the opportunity to accomplish more and more for this
country and the region.”
The King's prompt acceptance of the unions' invitation was interpreted by many politicians
as a signal to the government and the opposition to engage in a dialogue.
The opposition and the unions sought to negotiate with the government before the November
elections, but the latter insisted on a dialogue involving all parties, including those
against the boycott of the elections.
The council of union presidents was holding a meeting yesterday to identify a list of
issues to be tackled during their talks with the King.
The King said he read about the meeting in the newspapers, and “decided to drop
in.”