By Hani Hazaimeh Jordan Times

AMMAN – The situation of irregular migrant workers in the Kingdom has become a major concern for human rights activists in light of ongoing violations of their rights, according to a report issued on Monday.

Prepared by the Tamkeen Centre for Legal Assistance, “Breaking the Silence!!” highlights the social, financial and legal challenges facing migrant workers in the country.

Covering a sample of more than 400 labourers, most of them Egyptians, the study was compiled over a period of six months and aimed to shed light on the living conditions of irregular workers in the country and violations of their basic rights and personal freedoms.

Nearly 68 per cent of those sampled were Egyptians, while 19 per cent were Sri Lankan. About half of those surveyed were between the ages of 25 and 34.

According to the study, an irregular migrant worker is “any worker who does not have a visa, residency or work permit”.

The major complaints cited by respondents were a delay in the payment of wages (28 per cent), long working hours (27 per cent), and no compensation for overtime (24 per cent).

Human rights expert Mohammad Musa, who conducted the study, said irregular migrant workers are a global issue and not exclusive to Jordan, adding that different elements in the Kingdom have been contributing to the growing number of guest workers who are in violation of the Labour Law.

This phenomenon is driven by different reasons that need to be examined and addressed in order to come up with practical solutions, he said, citing the JD150 minimum wage, which motivates workers to find higher paying jobs.

According to the study, 19.5 per cent of the sample earned less than the minimum wage, while 75 per cent made between JD150 and JD300 per month. None of the respondents were paid more than JD450 per month.

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