Municipal workers announce end to strike after demands met

AMMAN — Municipal workers on Saturday declared an end to their strike after reaching an agreement with the government to meet their demands.

The agreement was reached during a meeting with a joint committee comprised of Minister of Municipal Affairs Walid Masri, a number of municipality mayors and representatives of the municipal workers.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Mahmoud Khawaldeh, head of the joint committee formed to meet the workers demands, said that an agreement was reached with the municipal workers’ representatives on all points, and that he valued Masri’s efforts and his willingness to implement all everything which was agreed upon.

The executive council for the municipalities’ labourers union, an unofficial syndicate, said that the Municipal Affairs Ministry was “keen on ending the protests”, pointing to the joint committee.

Masri sent a letter to the relevant administration within his ministry, notifying them of the agreement’s clauses, Petra reported.

The agreement stipulates a raise for “municipal work”, equal to 25 per cent of the employees’ base salary, which will go into effect this year and will be included in the 2020 budget. The raise is also to be officially named the “municipal work raise” and be given to other categories of employees.

A JD9 raise will also be given to employees who work on a per diem basis, and who have served for longer than one year.