Amman - The Labour Ministry is expected to issue a decision today on shutting down a tailoring factory in Al Tajamouat Industrial Estate in Sahab for failing to pay the salaries of more than 120 Bangladeshi workers, according to ministry officials.
"Chapter seven of the Labour Law, Article 46A, stipulates that a company must pay the salaries of its employees within seven days of the payment period," Labour Ministry Director of Inspection and Labour Affairs Amin Wreidat told The Jordan Times yesterday.
He said that the ministry warned the company to fulfill its financial commitments towards its employees, adding that the ministry has the authority to shut down any institution that violates the rights of its employees.
Wreidat noted that the workers can register complaints against their employer to authorities, who, with the power of the court, will confiscate factory assets until commitments to its former workers are settled.
In October 2007, more than 100 Bangladeshis working for the tailoring company went on a strike, demanding that they be paid the JD250 owed to them before the firm's ownership changed hands in June.
At the time, Omar Omari, the new factory owner, told The Jordan Times that the firm already paid the workers JD180 each in three monthly instalments, as specified in an agreement signed between the workers and management.
Despite several attempts, factory officials could not be reached for comment.
According to the ministry, the workers cannot leave the country since they are required to pay accumulated fines for their expired residences and work permits. The ministry, however, has issued them temporary ID cards pending a decision to exempt them from the fines.
The workers have been transferred to the CCKM garment factory in Sahab, Mohammad Najmul Huda, first secretary of the Bangladesh embassy, told The Jordan Times.
Last year, the ministry issued temporary ID cards, to more than 6,000 Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) labourers whose work and residency permits had expired or who were stranded without pay by companies that closed down due to financial problems and left the country without paying their salaries.
The cards, which were valid for three months, expired on November 22, with ministry officials saying the cards will be extended until a decision is taken.
According to ministry figures, around 36,000 foreign workers and 18,000 Jordanians are currently working in the Kingdom's 10 QIZs.
14 January 2008 Send to a friend
By Hani Hazaimeh
© Jordan Times 2008
