294 Jordanian protests during first quarter of 2013

Workers protest against employment law violations Jordanian Labour Observatory revealed that there has been 294 labour protests in Jordan during the first quarter of this year. The observatory added that during one protest a worker died after setting himself alight, while four other protesters have tried to commit suicide.
According to a statement issued by the Observatory; the main reasons for the increasing number of protests is the low wages, and the inability of many labour sectors to meet the requirements of daily life for employees and their families.
Large numbers of the workers are deprived of their fundamental rights stated in Jordanian employment laws. Workers demand better benefits and incentives, and the establishment of new trade unions.
The statement credited the increase in protests to the unbalanced relationship between workers and employers, along with the weak capacity of the Ministry of Labour to ensure fundamental workers rights.
Workers in Jordan have claimed to be subject to numerous employment law violations, such as working for more than 48 hours per week and the denial of their social security. They also claimed that job stability was poor and working environments were hazardous.
The statement identified that nearly half of protests were carried out by workers in the public sector (69 protests), 37 percent of protests were carried out by workers in the private sector (110 protests), and 5 percent of the protests were carried out by unemployed persons demanding work (15 protests).