Amman: The General Trade Union of Workers in Public Services, Free Professions, Communications and Information Technology, and the Jordan Restaurants Association signed a collective labor agreement on Thursday. This agreement covers the sector comprehensively, benefiting approximately 23,000 workers across 1,450 tourist restaurants. It will be in effect for three years, with an estimated total value of JD3.5 million.
According to Jordan News Agency, the agreement was signed by Union President Khaled Abu Marjoub and Association Chairman Issam Fakhr al-Din, with the presence of Director of the Ministry of Labor's Labor Relations Department Adnan Al-Dahamsheh. The agreement emphasizes prioritizing the employment of Jordanian workers in tourist restaurants and focuses on gradually replacing foreign labor by encouraging and training local workers to join the sector.
The agreement requires that restaurants collecting a service charge of 5 percent, or any future approved rate, distribute the full amount equally among all employees, adhering to current practices and each restaurant's operational conditions. It also mandates compliance with any Cabinet decision regarding minimum wages for Jordanian workers, set at 290 dinars, ensuring that service charges are not considered part of basic salaries. Compliance with labor and social security laws, including insurance coverage, working hours, leave entitlements, overtime pay, and public and religious holidays, is also required.
Furthermore, tourist restaurants must issue fair employment contracts in accordance with applicable laws, provide annual salary increases where possible based on inflation rates, and organize awareness workshops for employers and employees on labor rights and obligations. The union has committed not to submit any new labor demands to the association for three years from the signing date.
The agreement designates the union as representing all workers in the tourist restaurant sector, while the association represents all licensed and classified tourist restaurants under the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.