Business & Economy

Our Sponsors

Home

Amman News

Business

Amman Business News

Labour activists announce independent trade unions federation

Sunday, 14 August 2011 07:26

AMMAN - Labourers, unionists and human rights activists on Saturday announced the birth of an independent federation of Jordanian trade unions, accusing the current General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU) of failing to defend their rights.

In a meeting that saw the representation of all trade sectors in the Kingdom, participants said the formation of trade unions is compatible with international laws and covenants on which Jordan is a signatory.

The Labour Law in force does not allow forming any trade union without prior permission from the government, but the activists insist that the international covenants Jordan has entered stipulate that the founding members have only to notify local authorities of the formation of the syndicate.

“The deterioration of the situation of labourers and the marginalisation of this productive sector have prompted active unions to defend their rights. Since the beginning of the current year, more than 550 labour-related protests and work stoppages were staged, an indication of the size of the problem this sector is facing,” Ahmad Awad, general director of Phoenix Centre for Economic and Informatics Studies, said at the meeting.

Awad added that violations against workers are on the rise and the authorities have become unable to streamline the sector single-handedly, adding that more than 52 labour rights advocacy groups are operational in the country, yet they are not up to their responsibilities.

The federation’s preparatory committee member Azzam Smadi said in response to questions raised by the audience that the preparations to form the new federation started in late July, adding that the GFJTU, which was established in 1954, has become a burden not only on workers, but also on the state and employers.

“It has failed to translate its mandate in defending the rights of labourers into action. The workforce in the Kingdom is estimated at nearly 1.5 million workers, yet only 100,000 are subscribed to the GFJTU,” Smadi said, adding that this figure reflects the labourers’ lack of confidence in the union and how frustrated they are in its performance.

He added that the GFJTU was unable to pressure for a higher minimum wage, which currently stands at JD150, at a time when Department of Statistics estimates the poverty line in the country at JD323 a month.

“This means that the majority of the population are living under the poverty line and this must not continue to remain the case. Labourers are the engine of the economy and… they are entitled to respect and a decent living,” Smadi added.

For his part, GFJTU President Mazen Maaytah commented: “These are desparate attempts to fragment the end of the legitimate federation’s efforts to defend the rights of the workforce in the country.”

Citing “successes”, Maaytah said member trade unions, under direct supervision of the federation’s leadership, signed 62 labour agreements between labourers and employers, generating JD150 million in the form of salary raises and other financial accommodations in favour of the labourers.

On minimum wages, he said the GFJTU has been trying hard to raise the minimum pay through contacts with top government officials. The efforts have finally resulted in the formation of an ad hoc committee to examine the issue, he said.

Maaytah said that there are 120,000 members in the country’s trade unions currently out of nearly a 1.4 million strong workforce, noting that subscription to the GFJTU membership is optional.

Meanwhile, three new independent unions were announced during the meeting: per diem labourers, the unemployed and workers in the pharmaceutical industries.

Samah Masannat from the “union for the unemployed” underlined that nearly one million citizens are jobless, according to unofficial figures, adding that more than 225,000 job applications are currently filed with the Civil Service Bureau in addition to a similar number of military retirees who are also job seekers.

She added that many of the workers quit their jobs due to “greedy and exploitive employers”, who force their employers to work extra hours for less pay.

“Many workers sign work contracts based on the JD150 minimum wage limit, but in reality they only get paid half of this amount,” Masannat said, adding that such violations are widely spread in the private education sector.

The participants said the statute of the new independent federation will be announced during a national labour conference to be held in the “near future”.

Add comment (0)

Amman, Cairo still apart on natural gas deal

Thursday, 28 July 2011 07:05

AMMAN - Amman and Cairo have yet to close in on an amended natural gas deal, according to energy officials, as repairs are ongoing following this month’s act of sabotage on the Arab Gas Pipeline.

According to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Khaled Toukan, Jordanian officials have yet to be informed by Cairo when pumping of Egyptian gas will resume, as both sides consider an amended gas agreement bringing an end to a favourable pricing structure under which Jordan received gas at prices less than half the international rate.

Egyptian authorities previously estimated that repairs on the pipeline, which were damaged on July 12 in what marked the second Sinai explosion less than a month, would take 7-10 days.

Earlier this year, attacks in February and April caused two separate six-week disruptions forcing the Kingdom’s power plants onto their costly heavy oil and diesel reserves at a cost of $3 million per day.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the continuous disruptions in natural gas supplies cost the Kingdom JD637 million in the first half of the year.

Egyptian gas supplies have yet to return to pre-attack levels and prior to the most recent attack on the pipeline dropped to 60 million cubic feet - well below the 240 million cubic feet stipulated in a 12-year agreement between the two sides.

Under an amended gas deal, Amman is expected to receive 175 million cubic feet by the end of this year, a level that is to increase to 225 million cubic feet by 2012.

The unreliability of Egyptian gas supplies, which Amman counts on for 80 per cent of its electricity generation needs, has pressured Jordanian authorities to look for alternative energy sources including liquefied gas and increased heavy oil imports from Iraq.

As part of decision makers’ drive for liquefied gas, plans are in place to construct an offshore terminal in the Port of Aqaba by 2013, with Jordan receiving initial interest from Royal Dutch Shell, British Petroleum, Lemont/General Electric and Al Fijr.

The search for alternative energy imports comes as Amman attempts to cover a five-year gap period ahead of the development of domestic energy sources including oil shale, wind, solar and nuclear power.

Jordan currently imports 97 per cent of its energy needs at a cost of one-fifth of the gross domestic product.

Add comment (0)

Government opens 20 new markets for livestock imports

Thursday, 28 July 2011 07:03

AMMAN/IRBID (Petra) - Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on Wednesday said the government has opened new markets for livestock imports to prevent hikes in meat prices during the holy month of Ramadan.

During a field visit to the Greater Amman Municipality’s slaughterhouse yesterday, the premier said the government has also lowered customs duties on imported livestock in a bid to ensure availability of red meat in the local market at affordable prices during the fasting month.

He added that these measures are designed not only to stabilise prices of imported white and red meat, but to reduce them, noting that if prices do not go down, the government will rescind these measures.

In response to traders' demand to open new markets, Bakhit said the government issued permits to traders to import red meat from 20 countries.

Also yesterday, the prime minister visited the Civil Consumer Service Corporation (CSCC) branch in Irbid Governorate, where he checked on the availability of basic food items.

During the visit, the premier said there are 68 CSCC branches all over the country that sell basic commodities at affordable prices.

Bakhit also pointed out that there are huge stocks of basic food items on the local market that can cover the country's needs for six months, and called on citizens to rationalise their purchases and buy only what they need because otherwise demand will rise and so will prices.

The premier noted that the government will intensify inspections of markets during Ramadan to curb any manipulations in prices of basic food items during the holy month.

Bakhit also checked on a tile factory built under a Royal initiative in Irbid’s Westeyeh District, and checked on the quality of medical services offered to citizens at the Qmim Health Centre.

Add comment (0)

Several websites attacked by hackers for 4th consecutive day

Monday, 25 July 2011 08:24

AMMAN - For the fourth consecutive day, several websites of public and private institutions came under attack by hackers on Sunday, according to the National Information Technology Centre (NITC).

"The attempts to hack several websites continued today and the hackers succeeded in defacing and bringing down some websites whose servers are not hosted by the centre," NITC General Manager Nabeel Fayoumi told The Jordan Times on yesterday.

Hacking attacks by Saudi Arabia-based hackers started last week, he said, adding that they continued to attack websites hosted by the centre and others.

"The hackers failed in attacking any of the websites hosted by the NITC today although they tried many times. We host websites of ministries such as finance and information and communications technology, as well as other public agencies," Fayoumi said.

However, the hackers on Sunday succeeded in defacing and delaying the service of more websites, some of which are affiliated with the private sector, while the majority are related to public institutions, he added.

"We are fully capable of protecting the sites that we host at the centre. But it seems that the other sites hosted in the US, abroad or by private companies, were vulnerable and suffered as a result of the hacking attacks," Fayoumi noted.

The hacking attacks started as a result of a recent “electronic war” between Jordanian and Saudi Arabia-based hackers.

Last week, the websites of some agencies in Saudi Arabia including the website of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation were hacked by Jordan-based hackers, which prompted hackers from Saudi Arabia to hack the Jordan Football Association website and threaten to hack other sites in the country.

Add comment (0)

Fuel reserves can keep electricity running for 40 days - officials

Sunday, 10 July 2011 06:01

AMMAN - Jordanian energy officials have reiterated their commitment to securing alternative energy sources as technical delays continue to stall the resumption of Egyptian gas supplies.

According to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Khaled Toukan, officials are exploring alternative energy sources as Egyptian gas supplies have yet to resume since an explosion near Port Fuad in the Sinai Peninsula late last Sunday.

The cut in supply - the third act of sabotage on the Arab Gas Pipeline since February - has forced the Kingdom to resort to its fuel and diesel reserves, sufficient to sustain electricity generation for the next 40 days, according to energy officials.

Following an April 27 attack on the pipeline, Cairo insisted on amending a favourable pricing agreement between the two countries under which Jordan received natural gas at prices less than half the international market rate.

Under an amended agreement reached last month, Jordan is expected to receive 220 million cubic feet per day by 2012 - below the 240 million cubic feet stipulated in the previous 12-year deal.

Jordan has increased its reliance on Iraqi oil, recently raised to 15,000 barrels of oil and 30,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil per day at preferential prices following an agreement struck between Amman and Baghdad last month.

Jordanian energy officials are currently exploring the import of liquefied gas in light of the unreliability of Egyptian gas supplies, which have been cut for a total of 82 days, and counting, since the beginning of the year.

Plans entail the construction of an offshore terminal in the Port of Aqaba by 2013, with the government receiving initial interest from several international firms including Royal Dutch Shell, British Petroleum, Lemont/General Electric and Al Fijr.

The drive for liquefied gas comes as Amman attempts to cover a five-year gap period ahead of the development of domestic energy sources including wind, solar and nuclear power.

The Kingdom currently imports 97 per cent of its energy needs at a cost of one-fifth of the gross domestic product.

Add comment (0)