The Compass – Large segments of workers in Jordan are subjected to new and various violations, affecting their wages, working conditions and their intuitive rights, for example, enjoying heating during their work in the winter, which prompted the Jordanian Labor Observatory to appeal to the concerned authorities to address these crises and provide better conditions for workers in their various locations.

The head of the observatory, Ahmed Awad, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that these imbalances relate to negative behaviors towards workers in several sectors, some of which are similar to the usual violations against workers and others that differ and are highlighted for the first time, but they are of a high degree of importance and harm workers.

He added that the continuous follow-up to the reality of workers in Jordan from time to time led to the discovery of new violations that were documented in coordination with the representative bodies of workers. He pointed out that according to the General Syndicate for Workers in Public Services, Liberal Professions, Communications and Information Technology, the domestic labor sector is exposed to many violations and abuses of rights and laws that may amount to the crime of human trafficking, especially expatriate workers.

The Labor Monitor report stated that documented human rights data issued by civil society institutions revealed multiple violations against domestic workers, who number more than 60,000, including withholding documents, working long hours without allocating time for rest, and violations related to wages and vacations, in addition to being subjected to abuse, beatings and harsh treatment. And other aspects of exploitation and abuse of human rights

On the other hand, the observatory indicated that most of the workers in the facilities suffer from severe cold throughout the winter period, as they lack heating, despite the fact that many of them are considered as operating facilities. The observatory said, “The workers in the industrial sector, especially the food industries, still lack the necessary means of heating, on the pretext that the cold is a requirement for food production lines, canned goods and various catering products.”

The observatory added that today, many workplaces remain unprepared for winter and devoid of heating, air-conditioning and heaters, in addition to that some places need low heat for the benefit of production. Labor activists call for the need to provide a warm work environment in offices and establishments, commensurate with the fluctuating and cold weather conditions during the winter season.

Occupational health and safety expert Osama Al-Shdeifat said that severe cold may cause various muscular and respiratory diseases and may also lead to spinal and other diseases as a result of continuous exposure to severe cold, especially in severe winter days. He added that this requires keeping the temperature of the places around 24 degrees Celsius to maintain the body temperature of male and female workers, and adopting good and effective water drainage systems in open places.

And about male and female workers in work environments that require the place to remain cool, he stresses providing them with warm clothes, especially to ensure that their body temperatures remain within reasonable and acceptable levels to ensure that they do not suffer from spinal diseases or even influenza and other winter diseases.

Coordinator of the National Campaign for Workers’ Rights (Voice of Workers) Imad Al-Malhi demanded that the labor law include conditions for heating workplaces in the winter, given that safe heating is an undeniable right for male and female workers, especially in factories and open and spacious spaces that lack this feature in the prevailing atmosphere.

Al-Malhi demanded that this address be placed on the tables and lists of the demands of parties and professional and labor unions, especially since the general situation of Jordan’s workers can no longer bear the worst.

He said that the absence of the right to union organization and the freedom to join unions made the worker lose the existence of an organization, association or union that would defend him, especially with the possibilities that might affect his work in the event of a claim or complaint, as he may be subjected to arbitrary dismissal, warning, salary deduction, or renew his contract. He stressed that the continued stripping of male and female workers from their means of expression will leave them with a bad labor market and completely unsafe work environments.

He said that the time has come to unify the words of activists, parties and unions, and put pressure on the legislative and executive authorities to take decisions in the interest of workers, not against them.

The Labor Observatory stated that the International Labor Organization had previously launched a guide entitled “Basic Principles for Occupational Safety and Health in the Work Environment” that included warnings against working in cold environments that may leave a person with an imbalance in the tissues of his limbs, as the muscles and limbs are the most affected parts. The evidence indicated that exposure to cold causes constriction in the vessels surrounding the skin, which reduces the amount of blood passing through them to produce skin infections.

The New Arab