14th Annual Multi-Stakeholders’ Forum examines ways to advance decent work and sustainable growth in Jordan’s garment sector

The 14th Multi-Stakeholders’ Forum has explored means to continue the advancement of decent work and ensure sustainability in Jordan’s garment industry, building on the substantive growth the sector has achieved over the past 15 years.

Organised by Better Work Jordan, in collaboration with the Jordanian Garment and Textiles Exporters’ Association and of Garments (JGATE), the forum convened, with in-person attendance after two years of online participation due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The forum, in which representatives of the government, employers, workers, and international buyers, took part, discussed efforts to strengthen workers’ voices, social dialogue, and collaboration among stakeholders and partners.

High on the agenda were tackling challenges in the sector, and how the industry contributes to economic modernisation efforts by equipping Jordanians with the necessary skills for middle management positions at factories and by attracting more investments.

Themed, “Towards Decent Work and a Growing, Sustainable Tomorrow”, the forum also highlighted the recently renewed and updated sectoral Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Trade and sector growth

Ministry of Labour (MoL) Secretary General, Farouq Al Hadidi, said the US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force in 2001, is a key foundation of economic relations between the two countries.

The garment industry has seen significant growth, driven by large factories exporting to the US market under the agreement.

“Garment sector exports accounts for 70 per cent of total Jordanian exports, valued at more than USD 2 billion,” Al Hadidi added. “Jordan’s Economic Modernisation Vision aims to unleash the country’s economic potential, tackling unemployment and diversifying investment.”

That vision, he explained, necessitates enhanced collaboration among the government, employers, and workers.

“The government is keen on creating better working conditions in the garment sector, and seeks further improvements, including in decent work, pay equity, protecting rights of workers of various nationalities, workers’ ability to join unions, and decent housing accommodation,” Al Hadidi said.


The Jordanian government is working with the General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries and JGATE “to develop and improve all working conditions in the garment sector,” the senior official said.

Thea Lee, US Department of Labor Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, who headed a delegation to Jordan and participated in the forum, said growth in the US-Jordan trade “is built off the reputation that Jordan has garnered as a good actor committed to ensuring fair competition in the global market that benefits both business and worker.”

Trade between the two countries has increased over 800 per cent, as Jordan’s exports to the US are now more than 26 times higher than before the free trade agreement, according to Lee.

She said she is “proud to support the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Better Work globally over the past two decades and here in Jordan since 2014”. “Better Work Jordan has played a key role in nurturing a high level of cooperation and trust in the sector.”

A partnership between the ILO and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Better Work Jordan brings together stakeholders from all levels of the global garment manufacturing industry to improve working conditions, enhance respect for labour rights, and boost competitiveness. Better Work Jordan was established in 2008 at the request of Jordan and the US.

"The Economic Modernisation Vision revealed the significance of the garment sector to Jordan as the sector holds a proven track record for the last so many years,” said, Salim Karadsheh, Director of Investment and Business Development at the Office of King Abdullah II.
“I can confidently say the opportunities are plenty, all we need is to improve in a couple of areas for the sector to grow.”

Workers’ voices

The sector employs nearly 66,000 workers, the majority of whom are women and migrants from South-Asia. The Jordanian share of the labour force in the industry is around 24-25 per cent – which stakeholders and partners are collaborating to increase.

“This forum is key to enhancing social dialogue and ensuring a competitive garment sector that advances decent work for all women and men, and contributes to Jordanian employment and socioeconomic development," said ILO Deputy Regional Director for Arab States, Peter Rademaker.

“Building on its long record of successful partnerships with the tripartite constituents, Better Work Jordan continues to work closely with partners and stakeholders, consolidating these achievements and ensuring their impact on working conditions is sustainable."

For JGATE Chairman, Ali Imran, his journey in Jordan’s garment sector “was extremely fruitful”.

“This country made me as what I am today. I am confident with the new economic vision of His Majesty (King Abdullah II), will help explore the untapped treasures of this sector in the coming years,” said Imran.

Two panel discussions were held at the forum; the first was on “decent working conditions: equality, inclusion and voice”, and the second on “strategic potential and priorities of the garment sector”.

President of the trade union, Fathallah Al Omrani, spoke about the how the union works with the factories to improve working conditions and enter into sectoral CBAs, ensuring gender pay equity, adopting a unified employment contract for all workers, raising wages.

On challenges facing workers in the sector, Ahmad Awad, Director of the Phenix Centre for Economic and Informatics Studies, said the Jordanian Labour Law stipulates a single trade union structure, restricting workers from forming unions of their choosing, which is against international standards.

While Labour Law amendments have enhanced pay equity, Awad added, collective bargaining declined under the law.

“Only five per cent of workers in Jordan are members of unions,” he remarked, pointing out that some garment factories have gaps in their healthcare systems, and employment of workers with disabilities.

Haitham Al Najdawi, head of the Inspection Directorate at the MoL, spoke about its efforts to develop the inspection system, including occupational safety and health legislation, work environment, information computerisation, and upgrading inspectors’ performance.

“We are keen on protecting workers’ rights. We have built an electronic protection platform, in collaboration with the ILO, offering services with several languages for all sectors, especially the garment industry,” Al Najdawi said, adding that labour inspectors were equipped with video cameras to document procedures and guarantee transparency.

Ensuring sustainability of achievements

Representing international buyers, Yusra El Esir called for continued efforts to build on decent work progress in the sector.

El Esir emphasised the importance of the Mental Health Project of Better Work Jordan in providing mental health and psychosocial support for workers, as well as ensuring inclusion and equality, and improving working conditions.

“We need to discuss how to include migrant workers in collective bargaining and union activities, and how to address pay gaps between these workers and Jordanian workers,” she said. “We also need to focus on the Mental Health Project, which we believe is a good step.”

During the second panel discussion, President of Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission, Raghda Al Faouri, said the TVSDC is keen on developing workers’ skills in the sector.

“We seek to make the garment sector more attractive to Jordanians, which would meet basic standards for production quality requirements requested by buyers,” Al Faouri added.


Ali Al Qussairy, investment promotion specialist at the Ministry of Investment, said the Economic Modernisation Vision aims to create one million jobs, including 150,000 in the sector, in ten years.

Al Qussairy, expected garment export value to increase to USD 8.5 billion in ten years. “Through the new Investment Law, the government plans to issue a ‘golden permit’ to garment factories that develop local communities, enabling these businesses to obtain all government permits and incentives,” he added.

Underlining garment sector capability, Ramdas Sreedharan Nair, CEO and executive director of a garment company, said “the industry has the necessary resources to meet US market requirements for high-quality products”. He added that expansion in the sector would boost investment and attract additional buyers to source from Jordan.

Shyamali Liyanage, deputy general manager, compliance and social sustainability, at another garment company, agreed with Nair. “Sustainability of projects and achievements serves buyers and stakeholders. Enhancing production and work environment would develop the sector and boost its performance in general,” she said. “At the same time, it is important to preserve the environment by using renewables energy technology, which would positively impact economic outcomes.”

Panellists recommended that the government reconsider its decision to abolish the MoL in order to avoid jurisdictional confusion for workers, and called for including persons with disabilities in the labour force and for improving their working conditions in general.

New CBA

On the sidelines of the forum, Al Omrani and JGATE Executive Director, Sawsan Al Habahbeh, spoke about the recently signed CBA and its updates.

The new CBA builds on previous agreements and achievements, with emphasis on partnership with employers, and introduces provisions serving the interest of workers and promoting decent work: 1. Definitions aligned with international labour standards, such as labour committees and workplace violence, harassment, and discrimination. 2. Worker complaints: Employers undertake to grant the union freedom of access to enterprises to hold meetings with workers in the event of any complaint received by the union about the CBA implementation or about any other matter related to labour rights. 3. Annual pay raise for workers earning monthly wages less than JOD 400. 4. Union committees: The union forms a labour committee in every enterprise in the sector, comprising elected members from workers, and ensuring proportional and adequate representation of different nationalities. 5. Overtime: Overtime work may not exceed four hours a day. 6. Public holidays: Workers performing duties during weekly, religious, and other public holidays announced by the Government of Jordan are entitled to compensation pursuant to law provisions. 7. Workplace violence and harassment complaints: In the event a person who has experienced workplace violence or harassment files a complaint, the employer undertakes to follow referral procedures stipulated in Better Work Jordan Programme guiding principles and unified standards for response to violence and harassment against workers in the textile, garment and clothing sector. 8. Enhancing women’s role in the sector: Providing an enabling environment for female workers, and ensuring their equal access to employment opportunities as well as the right to be considered for promotion, job security, and work incentives and benefits; and ensuring female and male workers have equal pay for equal work. 9. Employment of persons with disabilities: In collaboration with the union, employers are required to provide persons with disabilities with training on factory-level rights, duties, and responsibilities of workers and employers. The union will develop and implement professional programmes to enable persons with disabilities to join the labour force; and plan and implement extensive awareness and education campaigns to combat stereotypes and misconceptions about persons with disabilities. 10. Unified employment contracts: Migrant, refugee, and Jordanian workers may not be employed or have their contracts renewed outside of the unified employment contract, agreed on and published in the Official Gazette (issue no. 5689, dated 17/01/2022, pages 274-303). 11. Mental and physical health care: Employers are required to endorse workplace mental health policy with standard procedures for ensuring factory-level mental health and psychosocial support services, in alignment with the Better Work Jordan Programme. 12. Worker dormitories: Employers are required to provide migrant workers with dormitories, in line with relevant instructions and requirements. 13. Agreement Management Committee: This committee convenes on periodic basis to assess compliance with provisions of CBA and its effectiveness, in line with terms of reference to be drafted by Better Work Jordan.