Labour Minister announces instructions for regulating remote work

AMMAN — The Minister of Labour (MoL) Nidal Bataineh on Monday announced instructions that support the procedures necessary for regulating remote work in compliance with Defence Order No. 6, according to a ministry statement.

The MoL directives are applied to institutions and establishments permitted to work by the competent authorities and those covered by the decision to suspend work, in addition to any other entity subject to the Labour Law, according to a MoL statement made available to The Jordan Times on Monday.

In accordance with the ministry’s directives, employers in institutions and establishments that are permitted to operate and those covered by the decision to halt their work may order their employees to work remotely, either full-time or part-time if the business interests so require.

Employers in any of the entities that are authorised to work or those covered by the resolution to suspend work are deemed not to be obliged to amend their internal systems, in order to assign their employees to full-time or part-time flexible working, whereby employers are committed to provide the ministry with a monthly statement with the names of all employees working remotely, the nature of each employee’s work, working time, contract duration and the wage paid as registered at the Social Security Corporation.

The statement added that employees who performed their work remotely in entities that are authorised to operate are entitled to their full and regular wages for the period extending from March 18 to March 31 of 2020, in addition to extra pay if they were assigned to additional work, excluding extra pay for official holidays, whereas those who worked remotely in institutions that are cover by the decision to suspend work are entitled to their regular wages for the same aforementioned period.

MoL instructions also said that full-time remote workers in permitted entities and those covered by the decision to suspend work are entitled to their full wages, while those working part-time are paid according to their actual working hours, at a rate of no less than the standard minimum wage or by no less than 50 per cent of their regular salary, whichever is higher.

Part-time remote workers are also entitled to extra pay, in case they were assigned to do additional work, excepting annual holidays extra pay.

The remote workers could waive up to 30 per cent of their regular wages, which is considered a waiver of their own free will unless they file a complaint to the MoL within seven days of lowering their wages by the employers.

The Labour Ministry’s Spokesperson Ghaida Awamle stated that in accordance with Defence Order No. 6 of 2020, the ministerial committee composed of the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply and the Minster of Health have issued instructions regarding the procedures and requirements for obtaining approval for institutions and establishments to proceed with their work.

The instructions include the basis for submitting applications which enable economic sectors, institutions and entities that want to carry out their work apply, the statement added.

A committee consisting of the labour, health and trade ministers, along with the concerned minister was established under the Defence Order, with the aim of considering the applications, the statement said.

The concerned minister decides whether these establishments meet the required criteria needed for them to operate, and thereby provides his recommendations to the ministerial committee.

In accordance with the directives, the MoL determines the standard operating procedures and work safety manual, to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, in coordination with the institution or establishment that filed a request.