JEPCO employees end work stoppage, strike deal with administration

AMMAN –– Jordanian Electric Power Company (JEPCO) employees ended their strike on Tuesday after the company management met their demands, Electricity Workers Union (EWU) President Ali Hadid said.  

The employees began an open-ended strike last month to demand several financial benefits. 

Hadid noted that the employees reached an agreement with JEPCO management during a meeting held at Parliament. EWU representatives and the company signed a deal to meet the demands of the strikers. 

Under the agreement, employees will receive a JD30 raise added to their basic salary, a JD25 cost of living allowance and a JD25 increase in hazard pay. In addition, a new JD20 allowance will be dispensed for company drivers.

JEPCO also agreed to pay JD25,000 as end of service compensation for employees who reach the age of retirement. 

“Employees will pay JD15 a month and the company will also pay JD15 for this benefit,” Hadid told The Jordan Times over the phone.

During the strike, employees demanded a JD50 raise in their basic salaries, a JD50 cost of living allowance, a JD20 increase in hazard pay, a JD90 monthly service allowance and a JD25 allowance for transport department staff. 

They had also demanded a full month’s salary for every year of employment as end-of-service compensation.

A source at the company previously told The Jordan Times that JEPCO incurred JD10 million in losses last year and the demands — without counting the end of service compensation — would cost JD7 million. 

The open-ended strike did not have a an impact on the power supply, according to Hadid. 

The utility company, which serves the Kingdom’s central region, has 22 offices in Amman, three offices in Zarqa Governorate and one in Madaba, according to the EWU.

JEPCO distributes electricity to around 3 million subscribers in the cities of Amman, Zarqa, Salt and Madaba.

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, had reported last month that the employees and management reached a compromise, brokered by the Labour Ministry.

But Hadid said the employees did not agree to the settlement proposed by the company.