Labour Ministry publishes guide to clarify labour rights as per Defence Order No. 6

AMMAN — The Ministry of Labour on Thursday issued a procedural guide clarifying labour rights according to Defence Order No.6, which aims to ensure the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees during the global COVID-19 outbreak, according to a ministry statement.

Defence Order No. 6, which was announced on Wednesday, aims to safeguard existing job opportunities as much as possible, avoid layoffs, protect the private sector, provide social protection and put an end to certain erroneous practices in the work environment, the statement said.

According to the guide, employers in institutions and establishments that are permitted to operate and those covered by the decision to suspend work are required to pay employees their regular and full wages for March, whether the staff worked remotely, worked at the workplace or did not work.

The guide, which was published on the ministry’s official website, also specifies that as of April 1, employees who have worked at their workplaces are entitled to their full wages and if employers assign them additional work, they are owed additional pay.

Full-time remote workers are entitled to their full pay, and those working part-time must be paid according to their actual working hours, at a rate of no less than the standard minimum  wage, according to the guide.

Employers included under the work suspension decision are able to submit a request to the Labour Ministry to lower the wages of employees who have not been assigned to work, provided that the pay is no less than 50 per cent of the minimum standard wages. In case such an application is rejected by the ministry, the workers are entitled to their usual salaries.

Institutions can also request to fully suspend their operations and stop paying salaries to their employees via the Hemayeh.jo platform, which will be available starting on April 12.