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Ministry eid raids detect flouting of labour laws

By Maram Kayed - Aug 15,2019 - Last updated at Aug 15,2019

AMMAN — Despite warnings from the Ministry of Labour, some employers insisted that their staff work throughout eid with no overtime pay.

According to Labour Ministry Spokesperson Mohammed Khatib, the reported violators were all either construction supervisors or contractors.

“As most construction workers are foreigners, employers think it is acceptable to make them work throughout eid without overtime,” he told The Jordan Times.

He added: “A licensed foreign worker has the same rights as any citizen so that notion is, of course, unacceptable.”

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), which carried out regular check-ups on registered construction sites during eid, said in a statement that over 14 projects were penalised for violations.

Head of the GAM inspection committee Yousef Dalabeeh told The Jordan Times that “even if the workers were there by consent, we still issued a penalty”.

He explained: “It is not just about not paying workers overtime. In construction work specifically, the municipality is strict on not working during eid in view of the noise levels and the traffic inconvenience.”

Khatib added that construction sites are governed not only by ministry laws but also by the Building Code that prohibits any work during the first and second days of eid.

Dalabeeh also noted that some contractors and site supervisors use the occassion when government-hired engineers go on eid holidays “as an opportunity to use material that does not fit standards or to dump waste illegally. Which is why the GAM increases its monitoring”.

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