Expatriates to withdraw social security benefits before leaving Jordan

AMMAN — Activists and experts on Monday welcomed a recent government decision to allow expatriates working in Jordan to leave without paying overstay fines and collect their social security benefits.

Minister of Labour Nidal Bataineh announced on Saturday that the government plans to facilitate the departure of foreigners who wish to return to their countries.

The minister also said that the government coordinated with the Social Security Corporation (SSC) to ensure that departing foreigner will be able to collect their any social security benefits.

The minister also emphasised that foreign labourers who overstayed their time in Jordan will not pay any fines, adding that the dual language (English/Arabic) website hemayah.jo was established for this purpose.

Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Right President Linda Kalash welcomed the decision saying it will help foreign labourers obtain some of their rights before heading home.

“Many foreign labourers are stuck here and it is good that the government plans to help them leave by waving their fines and securing their social security benefits,” Kalash told The Jordan Times.

Kalash added that her organisation had been following up with the labourers’ embassies to ensure that other rights are met before their departure.

“Some workers still did not get their salaries, while others lost their passports or are unable to submit the application properly because they are not familiar with electronic transactions,” Kalash said. 

Director of the Phenix Centre for Economic Studies Ahmad Awad also welcomed the government’s decision, but warned about salary losses for “some of the labourers who also have cases in the court system which is not working because of the current situation”.

“I really hope that the government will pay attention to some of the details pertaining to this decision and ensure that these workers would get their full rights before leaving the country,” Awad told The Jordan Times.

Meanwhile, Industrialist and economist Musa Saket said the government’s decision regarding foreign workers is “a double-edged sword”.

“For the local employees, it is good because we have high unemployment rates among Jordanians, and it is opportunity for local workers to find jobs that are occupied by foreign labourers,” Saket told The Jordan Times.

On the other hand, Saket added: “Many foreign workers will not return to Jordan, which will leave a gap in certain professions that require certain skills that are not readily available in Jordan”.

Bataineh announced that the deadline to apply to leave is May 4.

“The applicant will receive a notification once the application is accepted and has 72 hours to reach a SSC establishment to collect his/her social security benefits and the notification is considered a permit to move around,” Batianeh said.