Amman, Jordan (ILO News) – The ILO facilitated the first round of discussions between members of Jordan’s Agricultural Worker Committees and representatives of the General Trade Union of Water, Agriculture and Food Industry (GTUWAF) in Amman on Wednesday (September 28).

The discussions aim at establishing a proper environment for the inclusion of the country’s agriculture workers under the agri-food trade union umbrella. The move follows the Labour Ministry’s decision to include the agricultural profession within those sectors under the responsibility of the GTUWAF.

The discussions are a milestone for local agricultural workers, who still lack their right to form a national sectoral trade union to voice their interests and concerns. The first round of discussions focused on the workers’ benefits and the challenges they face along with their agriculture committees to join the GTUWAF, in addition to their expectations and needs ahead of their imminent admission to the agri-food trade union.

“We are delighted to be able to facilitate such pivotal discussions between the representatives of the agricultural worker committees and members of the GTUWAF in Jordan,” says Shaza Ghaleb Jondi, Chief Technical Advisor for ILO PROSPECTS Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. “We hope that these initial steps will contribute to an efficient organization of the workers of this very important sector for the country, allowing them to speak with one voice and participate in inclusive and effective social dialogue. Tripartism and social dialogue are essential tools to achieve the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda in Jordan.”

The meeting is part of the PROSPECTS partnership in Jordan and its efforts to improve working conditions and productivity in the sector, which has potential for growth and job creation for Jordanian and non-Jordanian workers. PROSPECTS, which is spearheaded by the Government of the Netherlands, focuses on improving education, employment and protection.

The ILO has been in discussion with the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFJTU) to address the lack of national trade unions representing farm workers in the country during the past year, eventually opting to integrate them under the umbrella of the GTUWAF. This will serve as an interim arrangement until a dedicated union is established.

“We are glad to welcome the agriculture professional category under our umbrella,” says GTUWAF President Boshra Mohammad Al Salman. “Agriculture is a vast sector in the country. It spans quite diverse occupations and workers, the latter including Jordanians, Syrians, and migrant workers of other nationalities. The first steps will be helping the workers establish associations and committees within our union and raise their awareness concerning the trade union roles. We are impressed that women were among the agricultural worker committees’ representatives. This shows the passion and determination of the workers to achieve a solid and inclusive union movement to improve the work and life conditions for all.”

The committees were formed on farms in Jordan in 2020, as part of the ILO’s broader efforts to promote the right of agriculture workers to organize and to enhance dialogue and collective bargaining with employers about working conditions.

As a result, 24 agriculture worker committees were established in different farms located across the governorates of Irbid, Mafraq, Zarqa, and recently in the southern Jordan valley, representing hundreds of male and female Jordanian and foreign workers.

The committees have carried out awareness raising activities to improve the workers’ knowledge of labour legislation and international labour standards in their respective areas. They represented the interests of the workers on the farms where they are employed through dialogue with employers, with the understanding that they could form the basis of a formal union representation of farm workers in the future.

“We run awareness sessions in the past few years emphasising the importance of improving working conditions across the agricultural sector. A fact that encouraged workers to seek more information about their rights and the possible ways to achieve and enjoy it,” says Nabila Khalaf Al Hshoosh, agriculture worker committee representative for the Jordan Valley. “Including our sector within the GTUWAF will certainly give us enhanced protection and representation in case of issues emerging with our employers. Before, we were lost. We didn’t know whom to ask in case our rights got violated. Being part of a union is key.”

Walid Fares Al Zyod, a representative of the Zarqa agricultural committee agrees.

“We are enthusiastic about becoming part of the GTUWAF. The challenges we face in the sector are big, especially when it comes to fair and timely wages, medical insurance, social security benefits, occupational safety and health, transportation, and suitable housing solutions for the seasonal agricultural workers. Now as part of the GFTUWAF, I believe that agriculture workers will be in a better position to discuss and negotiate proper solutions for these challenges and the other priorities.”

The unionization of agricultural workers in Jordan is a result of adopting the bylaw for agriculture workers in May 2021, which ILO provided technical guidance and input during its drafting process on areas including social protection, gender, occupational safety and health, recruitment, trade unionism and international labour standards more broadly.