Premier pledges ‘fair solutions’ to GAM agricultural engineers’ demands

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Tuesday vowed to study “fair solutions” to the demands exposed by several agricultural engineers employed at the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM)  to have their post-employment educational degrees recognised and to be granted the corresponding material rights, according to a press release issued by the Jordan Labour Watch (JLW). 

The pledges came during a meeting held at the municipality, where the premier met with Jordan Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) President Abdul Hadi Falahat and AEA Vice Chairman Nehad Elami.

The discussion followed a sit in staged by dozens of agricultural engineers in front of the GAM’s main building on Tuesday, where protesters called for the amendment of the job titles of 30 workers at the institution, so that they match their current qualifications and the benefits enjoyed by their colleagues. 

“The protesters themselves reached out to the association [AEA] asking for further intervention to solve the case,” union member Mohammed Hiary told The Jordan Times in an interview, stressing that “this happened after several meetings with the municipality’s management, which reached a no-exit situation, even though several promises were made a few months ago to solve the case”. 

“Several requests have been issued during the past years, raised both by individuals and through official correspondence signed by members of Parliament,” he stressed, adding: “We expect the GAM to find fair solutions to the protesters’ demands and overlook the financial or administrative obstacles.” 

Hiary called on officials to recognise the staff’s degrees in agro-engineering and amend their wages, benefits and bonuses on the base of equality with their colleagues.

He said that AEA will now wait for GAM’s next move in this regard, expressing hopes for the municipality to “offer a gradual solution”.

“Otherwise, we will reconsider escalation,” he warned. 

GAM was not able to comment on the remarks, despite several attempts by The Jordan Times. 

For his part, JLW Director Ahmad Awad said that “while the JLW welcomes the readiness of the prime minister to find solutions to the issues experienced by agro-engineers employed at the GAM, we will not cease to point out the imbalances existing in the benefits of workers both in aspects related to job titles or wage levels, as successive governments and relevant official institutions did not initiate solutions to such inequalities so far”.