Stakeholders welcome gov’t pledge to waive fines of foreign agriculture labourers

AMMAN — Agriculture and labour experts have hailed a recent government pledge to waive the fines of foreign agriculture labourers and to introduce additional measures to protect the rights of workers in the sector.

On Tuesday, Minister of Labour Nidal Bataineh met with the president of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) and other members to discuss various demands by the sector. 

During the meeting, the minister pledged to recommend to the Cabinet to waive the fines of violating foreign labourers whose permission ends by June 30, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, the minister called on the AEA to establish an agriculture company to meet the essential needs and trainings for labourers in this important sector, with the aim of employing Jordanian youth, Petra said.

The minister also discussed with the AEA members the possibility of introducing special regulations specifically for workers in the agriculture field that would guarantee their labour rights, Petra added.

President of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) Abdelhadi Falahat told The Jordan Times that the meeting with the minister was “satisfactory”. 

"The agriculture sector has been suffering from various problems and the meeting with the minister touched on many of our demands," Falahat said.

The AEA president said he was hopeful that the government "would reconsider some of the fines and permit fees and work, to ease the burden on the sector, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis”.

Deputy President of the Agricultural Engineers Association Nuhad Olaimi told The Jordan Times that the AEA will pursue other demands that were not approved during the meeting.

"We also hope that the government will ease the restrictions on receiving foreign labourers, especially from Egypt, to fill the gap in this sector since many Jordanians are unwilling to work in agriculture," Olaimi added.    

Meanwhile, Director of the Phenix Centre for Economic Studies Ahmad Awad praised the outcome of the meeting between the AEA and the Labour minister, stressing the "urgent need” to issue special regulation to organise the work of foreign labourers in the sector.

"This has been one of our demands for over 12 years now and the civil society has exerted a lot of effort to develop ideas and lobby the government to issue special regulations or to include foreign labourers' rights within the Jordanian Labour Law to protect them," Awad told The Jordan Times.

He added that the call to establish a special company to hire Jordanian labourers is also “very important” since many Jordanians “refrain from entering this sector because of the tough conditions”.

On May 31, His Majesty King Abdullah called for stepping up efforts to develop local product specifications and quality, as well as expand the pharmaceutical, medical supplies and food processing industries to cover domestic needs and increase exports.

At a meeting with the steering committee to support the national pharmaceutical, medical supplies and food processing industries at Al Husseiniya Palace, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, King Abdullah called for identifying an entity to implement the expansion of these industries within a clear timeframe, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty noted the importance of identifying agricultural land in Jordan and the types of crops best suited for cultivation.

The steering committee was formed by Royal directives in mid-April to expand the local production of food, medicines and medical supplies.

On May 10 during a visit to a farm project, King Abdullah stressed the importance of helping Jordanian farmers shift from traditional farming to value-added agricultural products while targetting export markets.

King Abdullah, accompanied by the Crown Prince, commended entrepreneurial agricultural projects and their capacity to generate jobs, noting the importance of maintaining public safety procedures.