Aqaba Container Terminal employees insist on open-ended strike

AMMAN — Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) employees are pressing ahead with an open-ended strike that started on Monday at 7pm to demand a number of benefits that the company had promised to meet. 

A source at ACT, who preferred to remain unnamed, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Tuesday that the strike is "illegal". 

"The Ministry of Labour is working on the issue in accordance with the law," he said. 

The employees want the management to increase their salaries, pay them 15 salaries a year and include their parents in their medical insurance, among 23 other demands, according to the company, which has more than 900 employees. 

ASEZA Chief Commissioner Kamel Mahadin also described the strike as "illegal", noting that negotiations are ongoing between the union and management under the umbrella of the Labour Ministry, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Mahadin called on the strikers to resume their duties because any delay in the port's work will negatively affect trade.

Mohammad Matilah, spokesperson of the General Union of Port Workers, said the employees are committed to the strike until their demands are met. 

Following a strike in July, the union reached an agreement with ACT and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), but management is yet to implement it, Matilah said.

Meanwhile, the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) asked the government to take the necessary measures to end the strike so that it will not have a negative impact on the flow of goods to the local market. 

An ACC statement quoted chamber president Issa Murad as stressing the importance of resolving the strike to avert its impact on the national economy, which is already under continuous pressure due to the situation in the region.

He expressed concern that shipping lines will stop providing services to Aqaba Port and transport their cargo to neighbouring ports, which will increase cost and delay the arrival of goods.