The ILO and General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions launch new e-contract platform for private school workers in Jordan

© GFJTU/ Anas Shweter/ 10 July 2024/ Amman, Jordan

© GFJTU/ Anas Shweter/ 10 July 2024/ Amman, Jordan

AMMAN, Jordan (ILO News)—The International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU), has launched an electronic unified work contract platform for workers in private schools and kindergartens in Jordan. This initiative aims to enhance rights and protect wages in the private education sector, particularly for women.

A launch event was held at the federation’s headquarters and attended by representatives of national partner entities including the government, the parliament, trade unions and employer organizations, and civil society organizations.

GFJTU president Khaled Al-Fanatsah described the automation of the unified contract as "a qualitative step achieved through the efforts of various national parties and the support of the ILO." He stated that this "reflects an active partnership and a strong will to take practical steps to protect workers' rights and address legal violations in a sector where workers, especially women, face widespread abuses."

The platform was launched under a collective bargaining agreement signed with the Private Schools Owners Association last year. It includes benefits such as automating the unified contract, extending its duration from 10 to 12 months, and adding electronic wallets as a mandatory option for employers to transfer workers' salaries, thus providing job security and enhancing wage protection.

Al-Fanatsah also highlighted the efforts of the technical committee formed at the start of work on the platform. This committee includes the Ministry of Labour (MoL), the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Social Security Corporation (SSC), the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), the General Union of Private Education Workers, and the Private Schools Owners Association, under the supervision of the federation and the ILO.

Reem Aslan, Manager of the ILO Decent Work Programme for Women, emphasized ILO’s efforts over the years to support and protect workers' rights in the private education sector and to enhance the efforts of the Jordanian Equal Pay Committee.She said: "The launch of the platform came through a close partnership with the Jordanian government, which is making effective efforts to protect the wages and rights of workers. Automating the unified contract achieves the required transparency regarding the protection of workers' rights and employers alike, in addition to facilitating the completion and signing of work contracts."

Maha Ali, Secretary-General of the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), called the launch of the platform "an important step towards enhancing workers' rights in the private sector and addressing the challenges of non-compliance by some private schools with the provisions of the unified contract. It also provides better data and a more effective coordination and follow-up mechanism."

Automating the unified contract achieves several benefits, according to Haifa Abu Zaghlan, head of the Social Security Corporation (SSC) Quality Control. These benefits include "reducing insurance evasion, especially during the summer vacation months, protecting workers' rights and providing them with social protection, ensuring that workers' salaries are not less than the minimum wage, facilitating the inspection process, and addressing the violations workers are subjected to."

Ihab Bali, Vice President of the Private School Owners Association, emphasized the importance of "building on this achievement in the future," and strengthening the partnership between this association and the General Union of Private Education Workers.

At the end of the event, a detailed explanation of the electronic platform’s operation mechanism, advantages of using the platform, and steps for issuing the unified electronic contract was presented.