House dialogue seeks to secure expat workers to agricultural sector

Lower House Agriculture and Labor Committees held a joint meeting on Sunday, to discuss recruitment of expat workers to Jordan's agricultural sector, in the presence of Minister of Labor, Nadia Rawabdeh. Speaking at the dialogue, Rawabdeh said there are currently 55,750 valid agricultural work permits, as the agricultural sector's share stands at 35,000, according to 2021 official figures. Ministry of Labor, she noted, bars transfer of non-Jordanian workers working in the agricultural sector to any other activity, in a bid to serve the Kingdom's agricultural sector, while expats can move freely within this business. Rawabdeh said labor and interior ministries maintain joint coordination to control violating non-Jordanian workers in the labor market, affirming no additional periods will be granted to rectify conditions of illegal expatriate workers, as was the case in the past. The minister said Jordan's Labor Law provides equal rights for local and non-Jordanian workers, noting that Social Security Corpo ration (SSC) requests the employer to subscribe any worker in its insurance services. Additionally, she noted Agricultural Workers Law requires employers to subscribe non-Jordanian workers in the insurance packages, when the number of workers stands at 3 or more. Source: Jordan News Agency