Labour Ministry received 13,996 complaints in 2022 — report

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry received 13,996 labour complaints through the Himaya (protection) platform in 2022, according to a monthly report issued by the ministry’s inspection department.

According to the report, 5,508 complaints were related to unpaid wages, 1,544 were concerned with terminating the employment of workers with no contracts or ones with indefinite or verbal contracts. 

The report also showed that the ministry received 1,108 complaints regarding work suspensions, 743 related to terminating a fixed-term employment contract, 567 for forced resignations and 588 wage reduction complaints. 

Moreover, 157 workers submitted complaints demanding payment for unused annual leave and 383 complaints demanded payment for overtime work, the report added. 

It also revealed that there were 365 complaints related to getting paid less than the minimum wage. Complaints concerned with not paying social security subscriptions reached 312. 

Additionally, the report stated that the ministry received 64 complaints about forced labour and 75 complaints from employees who were dismissed after submitting a complaint. 

13,580 of the 13,996 received complaints were resolved, according to the monthly report. 

In an interview with The Jordan Times, Head of the Complaints and Hotline Department Emad Al Dajeh said that once a complaint is submitted, an inspector investigates its validity.

If the investigation reveals that a company is violating the law, the company is given a notice to rectify the situation within a certain period of time, depending on the severity of the violation, he said. 

“If the company doesn’t voluntarily correct the violation, the case is transferred to the public prosecutor, who takes the necessary legal measures,” Dajeh added. 

Director of the Phenix Centre for Economics and Informatics Studies (PCEIS) Ahmad Awad pointed out that this report doesn’t “accurately” reflect the situation in the labour market, as “there are hundreds of workers who have undergone similar experiences and didn’t file a complaint”. 

He said that this happens because workers attempt to rectify the issue themselves in order to avoid long legal procedures, for fear of losing their jobs, or due to a lack of trust in the system. 

“These violations of workers’ rights are an indication of existing power imbalances in employment relationships,” he told The Jordan Times, stressing the need to enhance the ministry’s oversight capabilities 

The relative absence of labour unions likewise contributes to the issue, as less than 5 per cent of employees in Jordan are members of a union, Awad added. 

He also noted that “legal empowerment” is the key to strengthening workers’ capacity to exercise their rights and stand up to any injustices they may face.