AMMAN - The Social Security Corporation (SSC) on Thursday announced an "ambitious plan" to cover thousands of workers in the northern city of Irbid under the social security umbrella.
Under the plan, the SSC will provide social security protection to around 37,000 labourers working in 18,000 firms in Irbid, according to a statement issued by the corporation.
The SSC will start implementation of its three-week plan on November 1, the statement said, adding that the corporation will target all institutions that employ one person or more.
"The decision to extend coverage will allow tens of thousands to subscribe to the social security programme," said Musa Subaihi, SSC spokesperson and director of its media affairs department.
The corporation has completed a similar project in Aqaba as the first phase of its strategy to extend coverage across the Kingdom, which started last year. Irbid constitutes the second phase of the strategy, the statement added.
Meanwhile, SSC Director General Omar Razzaz has received an international award for the corporation's "strategy to extend social protection".
Razzaz received the award during a ceremony on the sidelines of the Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific held in the Philippines on October 21.
The International Social Security Association (ISSA), a global institution comprising social security agencies and organisations across the world, granted the SSC its "Good Practices Award - Asia and the Pacific”.
The competition attracted 19 entries from 11 organisations representing 11 countries, ISSA said on its website.
The jury decided to give the award to two organisations, and also presented nine certificates of merit, according to ISSA.
"SSCs in Jordan and Saudi Arabia have been given the first Good Practice Award for Asia and the Pacific for their innovative and exemplary approaches to extend social security coverage," ISSA said.
"This award is a source of pride for the corporation and its employees for their dedication to achieve the SSC's objective in expanding its coverage to reach the entire population in the Kingdom," Subaihi said.
The strategy consists of three main pillars, the first of which entails expanding coverage geographically, according to a previous SSC statement.
Under the second part of the strategy, the SSC launched the "Social Security Ambassador" programme, under which a mobile office travelled to countries hosting Jordanian expatriates, particularly Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, to provide them with social security coverage.
The third pillar of the SSC's strategy focused on amending the Social Security Law to redefine insured persons in a way that allows coverage for uninsured individuals, including business owners, housewives and students, the SSC statement said.
In his remarks during the forum, ISSA Secretary General Hans-Horst Konkolewsky said the “Good Practice Award salutes the progress and determination this very diverse region has in the twin goals of improving administration and extending the coverage of social security."
The award programme was launched to recognise good practices in the management of social security, and to raise the profile of improvements and innovation in the administration, operation and delivery of social security programmes, the ISSA said, noting that the awards are presented on a regional basis at each ISSA Regional Social Security Forum over a three-year cycle.
The winners of the Good Practice Awards from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, in addition to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, will be featured at the World Social Security Forum in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010, according to the ISSA website.
© Jordan Times 2009
