Labour Ministry suspends permits of businesses that violated defence orders following public backlash

AMMAN — The Ministry of Labour has decided to suspend all permits of establishments that have violated any of the defence orders issued since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Ministry Spokesperson Ghaida Awamleh announced on Monday.

The government has so far announced six defence orders related to labour and employment, with the latest, Defence Order No. 6, causing controversy in the private sector. Two of its articles in particular caused a stir among both employers and employees.

The first article makes it permissible for an employer, with the consent of the employee, to reduce their wages by no more than 30 per cent. In some cases, as determined by the ministry, some employers have been permitted to pay only 50 per cent of their workers' salaries, even without their consent.

The second article stipulates that the contractual relationship between the employer and the worker “shall not be interrupted during the suspension period and the employer is not obligated to pay the worker’s wages during this period”, as quoted from the issued defence order.

The defence order caused a commotion online, which only intensified after some establishments interpreted the order to mean that they were not required to pay their worker’s wages, reduce them by 30 to 50 per cent, or suspend their contracts.

“More than 20 people lost their jobs the day right after the order was issued. I have acquaintances in establishments that let go of 60 people in a day,” tweeted Omar Majali, a citizen who used the trending “Cancel the Last Defence Order” hashtag on Twitter.

After backlash from the public, the government issued a statement stressing that Defence Order No. 6 “does not give employers the right to unlawfully suspend workers’ contracts”.

Awamleh then announced on Monday that Minister of Labour Nidal Bataineh had issued a decision to “deny institutions that violate any of the defence orders and instructions issued by the government — whether in regard to not paying wages or suspending the services of Jordanian workers — the right to obtain foreign-worker permits or any other permits”.

“The ban will only be lifted if the violations are corrected,” Awamleh said, adding: “These measures were implemented in order to protect the interests of workers, reduce violations and stop any harm immediately in light of the financial crisis.”

She stressed that the articles issued under Defence Order No. 6 “take into account the circumstances of the employers, especially in the sectors most-affected by the coronavirus lockdown, while providing protection for employees in light of the available capabilities”.

“Protecting the two parties separately, without one group’s interests overshadowing the other’s, is our top priority,” she said.