Jordan Times
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Report responds to Labour Law violations
AMMAN (JT) - A recently released report on improving labour standards in the country highlights the major initiatives the government has taken to address Labour Law violations.
Minister of Labour Bassem Salem announced the launch of the report at a policy forum last week hosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the Centre for Global Development in Washington, DC. He also discussed the report with officials at the State Department and the United States Trade Representative, according to a statement released by the Jordanian embassy in the US.
Entitled “Labour Administration and Compliance in Jordan: A Multi-stakeholder Collaboration”, the report catalogues the programmes and initiatives developed in response to allegations that many apparel manufacturing facilities operating in the Kingdom were violating both Jordanian Labour Law and international labour standards.
The comprehensive response ranges from the smallest detail to the most sweeping reform: From an almost 16 per cent hike in the sector’s minimum wage and the launch of a multilingual complaint hotline, to the development of an industry code of conduct and an overhaul of the way inspectors are hired, trained and evaluated, the statement said.
The Labour Ministry has also taken steps to address the specific issues arising out of hosting thousands of guest workers, as well as increasing job opportunities for Jordanians.
Many consider the most important step to be the launch of the groundbreaking Better Work Jordan Programme, a five-year joint project between the Ministry of Labour, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation, which seeks to improve labour conditions and standards and raise compliance levels through public reporting and technical assistance.
Jordan is the first country to adopt the model of ILO inspections pioneered in the apparel industry of Cambodia. The formal agreement initiating the programme was signed in Amman on February 3, according to the statement.
“Better Work Jordan is a crucial step in our determined effort to make Jordan a model for labour compliance in our region.” Salem said.
“We have already been making consistent progress in building Jordan’s capacity to assure working conditions, including reforming our ministry with increased budgets, increasing trained personnel and using international technical assistance. There should be no doubt that Jordan is committed to enforcing our labour laws and meeting international standards. By adopting this new ILO programme we are making clear we embrace transparency and seek further positive change. We have nothing to hide. We want to make certain people have faith in the ‘Made in Jordan’ label. I am confident this report makes clear such faith will not be misplaced,” he added.
The project, designed by the ILO and the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, seeks to improve working conditions for more than 54,000 workers in the apparel industry and boost the international competitiveness of the sector, according to the ILO website.
Better Work Jordan is the first of a number of country level projects to be launched by the global Better Work Programme, which combines ILO expertise in labour standards with that of IFC in private sector development and brings together local enterprises, international buyers, governments and workers’ organisations to improve labour standards and competitiveness in global supply chains.
A recent IFC survey shows that international apparel buyers rate labour standards as one of the most important of nine business environment factors in selecting a supplier country or factory.