An assessment of five non-garment factories conducted by Better Work Jordan revealed an average non-compliance rate of 41 per cent in the first year of participation in the programme, despite signs of improvement in these enterprises.

Carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour (MoL) and the European Union (EU), the first synthesis report on the assessment covered three factories in the plastics sector, one in the chemicals sector, and one in the engineering sector. The EU has funded the assessment under its collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on monitoring labour aspects in the implementation of the EU Rules of Origin (RoO) Initiative for Jordan.

At a meeting with representatives of the factories, MoL, trade unions, Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI), Better Work Jordan presented findings of its assessment of these enterprises, which have been operating in Jordan for around 10 years after moving from Syria.

Joint collaboration

Nada Qaddoura, Coordinator of the Labour Inspection project of Better Work Jordan, briefed the participants on the RoQ for Jordan, as well as ILO collaboration with the MoL and the EU.

In 2002, she said, Jordan entered the Association Agreement with the EU that enabled a Free Trade Area opening two-way trade. The agreement was revisited in 2016, when the EU and Jordan agreed to simplify RoO requirements as a component of the EU’s broader response to the Syrian refugee crisis. The revisions were aimed at boosting Jordan’s trade competitiveness, supporting the host communities, and promoting job creation for Jordanians and Syrians.

In response to the provisions set forward under the simplified RoO and in support of the objectives of the Jordan Compact, the MoL, the EU, and the ILO signed a one-year collaboration agreement to implement the scheme and ensure decent working conditions at production facilities. The one-year collaboration facilitated the implementation of ILO role in monitoring of authorised companies as prescribed under the relaxed RoO. The EU-ILO collaboration for the first phase provided an overall framework for the ILO to support, monitor and provide technical assistance to Jordan in context to the simplified RoO and its response for the Syria crisis.

The EU-ILO collaboration is now in its second phase, focusing on two outcomes: (i) Employment and job matching services facilitate access for Jordanian and Syrian job seekers to decent work opportunities in sectors exporting to the EU under the new trade agreement; and (ii) decent work principles are monitored and promoted in enterprises authorised to benefit from the EU relaxed RoO.

According to Qaddoura, the Better Work service model typically follows a one-year cycle, starting with an introductory advisory visit, before an assessment is conducted after three months. Following the assessment, Better Work continues engagement with the factory through advisory services and training and records these steps in the first and second progress reports. At the end of a year, the cycle repeats with an unannounced assessment visit.

She explained that during the assessment, a factory is required to answer around 220 questions about compliance with national labour law standards (compensation, working hours, contracts and human resources, and occupational safety and health), and with core international labour standards (discrimination, forced labour, child labour, and freedom of association and collective bargaining).

Violations and improvements

Better Work Jordan Programme Manager, Tareq Abu Qaoud, said factories authorised to export to the EU under the relaxed RoO initiative are required to join the programme, pursuant to instructions of the MoL and Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).

“Better Work Jordan aspire to include in the programme additional factories from various sectors, under the initiative,” Abu Qaoud added.

The five factories employ a total of 491 workers, of whom 12 per cent are women. The majority of workers are Jordanian (60 per cent), with roughly a third Syrian (32%) and some migrant workers (8 per cent), primarily from India. They range in size from 50 to 200 workers.

The highest rates of violations are for issues related to occupational safety and health (OSH).

As Jordan is yet to ratify ILO Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), all factories assessed are non-compliant on workers’ ability to freely join and form unions.

President of the General Trade Union of Workers in Petrochemicals, Khalid Al Zioud, said Jordan’s Labour Law has three chapters on the right to organise and bargaining, addressing conflicts/disputes, litigation, strike, and unionisation. Al Zioud added that the union has created committees and branches/offices across Jordan.

“We need to collaborate with the ILO, as workers need stable work environments, decent working conditions, and incentives,” he said. “We need to motivate employers to enhance health, social and livelihood services for workers. Ensuring these elements will increase production of factories and advance the economy.”

Decent work requirements

Despite some improvements, three out of four factories failed to keep one accurate payroll; three out of four factories failed to pay regular overtime correctly; and two out of four factories failed to pay special overtime correctly, according to the report.

“We have developed a smart application to enable workers to access all their wage and leave files and information,” said Abdel Hafeth Ahmad, manger of a participating factory.

“Since we joined Better Worker Jordan, we have been working to create a health work environment, but this process is costly,” said Ahmad. “We need time to create change gradually, as well as financial support to implement national and international labour standards.”

Laith Naji, in charge of OSH at another participating factories, agreed.

“Providing support for the factories will enable them to hire OSH specialists, develop these establishments, and comply with OSH and decent work standards,” he said.

For JCI representative, Salama Al Lboun, ensuring that OSH tools and equipment are in place, particularly in the chemicals sector, necessitates joint efforts by several entities, including the Civil Defence Directorate.

The meeting also discussed the importance of providing workers with disabilities with decent working conditions, including OSH tools and equipment.

“Persons with disabilities should be included in a decent work environment without discrimination,” said Haitham Al Najdawi, head of the Inspection Directorate of the MoL. “As regulatory authority, the MoL aims to guarantee that factories are committed to national and international labour standards, in return for export incentives.”

Al Najdawi added that the MoL has been working for three years to develop factory self-inspection by training factory employees. “This will help increase job opportunities, improve job stability/security, and protect worker rights, while at the same time, helping MoL ensure factory compliance with the Labour Law.”

Abu Qaoud told the meeting that “the ILO works in partnership with the MoL to make sure that exporters to the EU are committed to decent work standards, and to discrimination-free employment of workers of all classifications, including Jordanians and refugees.”