Protection of labour rights

His Majesty King Abdullah marked Labour Day on Wednesday by lauding the contributions of workers in the public and private sectors in the country for their dedication and achievements. "Jordanians are known for their dedication. You are the builders of this nation," the King said at a special ceremony held by the Greater Amman Municipality for this occasion.

Labour Day is commemorated internationally in order to pay tribute to the work of workers across the globe. To be sure, the occasion is also a reminder that workers are entitled to certain minimum rights that all nations must honour to the best of their abilities.

Relevant conventions of the International Labour Organisation and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) are in the forefront of binding international treaties calling for the promotion and protection of workers’ rights. Article 7 of the ICESCR stipulates that everyone has “the right to the enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of work, which ensures, in particular: (a) remuneration which provides all workers, as a minimum, with: (i) fair wages and equal remuneration for work of equal value without distinction of any kind, in particular women being guaranteed conditions of work not inferior to those enjoyed by men with equal pay for equal work... ."

This much women workers in Jordan have yet to attain despite serious efforts to do so. Women constitute only 25 per cent of the labour force in Jordan, even though they constitute half of the population. This is where more needs to be done to accord women equal rights with men. Until this is done, Jordan remains in default and in violation of international norms.

With regard to fair wages, article 11 of the same covenant states that everyone is entitled “to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family... ." Here, again, Jordanian workers have still a long way to go before they can enjoy an adequate standard of living in view of their low wages and the rise in inflation rate in the country.

Yet in all fairness, Jordan is doing its best under difficult economic conditions to improve the wages of workers in the country. The trend in this direction is positive, and when the economic landscape in the country reaches a higher rate of growth, no doubt workers will be in the forefront of the beneficiaries.

It is a well-accepted norm that countries, especially developing ones, may only attain the standards of the ICESCR progressively. This much Jordan is doing at a progressive rate. The day will surely come when Jordanian workers’ situation improves to the level of developed nations of the world.