South Shouneh fire triggers call for increased protection of agriculture workers

AMMAN — Demands are increasing to improve the work environment and living conditions of workers in the agriculture sector in light of the Southern Shouneh fire that claimed the lives of 13 Pakistani nationals and injured three others on Monday.

Director of the Phenix Centre for Economics and Informatics Studies Ahmad Awad told The Jordan Times on Thursday that demands for a by-law for agriculture workers have existed since the last amendment to the Labour Law in 2008. 

“Labour Ministry Secretary General Farouq Hadidi issued a statement on Thursday that drafts of the by-law have been prepared, and we are waiting for a chance to review them,” Awad said.

“We expected the government to notify and consult entities concerned with human and workers’ rights, like the General Union of Jordanian Farmers or civil society institutions,” he added.

He said that his personal estimate was that procedures to implement the by-law will be accelerated after the Shouneh fire, which resulted in criticisms directed at the Ministry of Labour for the “inadequacy of regulations” concerning agriculture workers, adding that there is "great pressure from society and the media, and I, optimistically, expect that 2020 will see more serious work from the ministry towards better regulations”.

He highlighted that if the government does not accelerate procedures to establish the by-law, "we will apply more pressure for acceleration”, adding that the by-law must be structured according to internationally recognised standard. 

He stressed that “the by-law must ensure expansive health and safety protection regulations, considering that most agriculture workers are ‘informal workers’ located in the Jordan Valley, which is known for its hot summers. The by-law must also entail minimum wage regulations and adhere to all Jordanian labour standards”.

Tamkeen Fields for Aid Centre, in a report published on their website on Thursday, criticised the lack of a by-law for agriculture workers and said that it contributes to "many violations and challenges" facing workers in terms of professional health and safety.

The report referred to the house that was occupied by the Pakistani nationals killed in the Shouneh fire, which was built from materials that accelerated the spread of flames, highlighting that it was merely one of many houses built in the "same hazardous way for workers in agriculture".

According to the report, before 2008 agriculture workers were explicitly excluded from the Labour Law, which only included engineers, veterinarians and public workers. 

However, in 2008, the Labour Law was amended concerning its application to agriculture workers, according to the report, and now covers “all workers” except for some categories, including agriculture workers, who will be under “special provisions” according to a by-law that was intended to be issued for this purpose. However, such a by-law is yet to be issued. 

“Accordingly, the current situation could be considered a legal loophole regarding the conditions of agriculture workers in Jordan,” the report added.

The report concluded that the lack of a by-law for agriculture workers renders them “vulnerable to exploitation”, and takes away their rights to fair wages, reasonable work hours and tools for general safety. It also deprives them of annual vacation time and sick leave, subscription to social security and other labour rights included in the Jordanian Labour Law.