by Natasha Tynes | May 22, 2006 | Jordan, my nation
It seems that Jordan is following in the footsteps of some Gulf countries by attempting to localize its labor force. Some of the Gulf countries that followed this example include Saudi Arabia and Qatar both of which are constantly working to "Saudi-ize" and "Qatar-ize" their workforce. Here is an excerpt from the recent report:
The government will impose "a significant increase" on the fees levied on foreign workers applying for annual work permits in an effort to raise employment levels among native Jordanians, a source at the labour ministry said on Monday. Simultaneously, the ministry plans to train Jordanian workers in order for them to better compete with their expatriate counterparts. "The ministry is keen to enhance workers’ competitiveness and performance through its programmes and schemes," said Labour Minister Bassem Salem. According to a ministry report issued last week, 15.5 percent of working-age Jordanians -– some 200,000 people -– are currently unemployed. This includes approximately 144,000 males and 55,000 females. Source: [IRIN]
I wonder if this new approach has anything to do with the recent National Labor Committees report on the status of foreign workers in Jordan’s QIZ’s.
by Natasha Tynes | May 22, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, Media watch
The smart husband managed to get the full interview of Queen Rania on Oprah digitized and onto this blog. So for those interested, who either weren’t able to see it or would like to see it again, it’s all available here. It’s about 19 minutes long. [The video is best enjoyed with a broadband connection, and could be pulled at any time. Right cick here (save target as) for the direct download link for the file. Thus far, this hasn’t been converted into Flash, but blip.tv says their server will do it soon :0] Enjoy!
by Natasha Tynes | May 19, 2006 | Jordan, my nation
I was glad to learn that Jordan’s Ministry of Labor has come out and admitted that there are violations of workers’ rights in the kingdom’s QIZ-based factories in a report prompted by the release of the National Labor Committee’s report. To be frank, I expected the ministry to brush off the allegations and pretend all was well at the factories. I was mistaken, as evidenced in their report quoted here by The Jordan Times:
"Violations do exist in some factories in terms of overtime hours. Workers work above the legal maximum and they are not paid according to the legal overtime, which is 125 per cent of the hourly wage. In addition, some establishments do not observe the official holidays/weekends in terms of wage calculation for these days, while several establishments do not comply with social security laws and, instead, deduct the employers’ contribution from the workers’ wages," according to the report. The ministry’s inspectors also found that some QIZ establishments employ migrant workers without work permits or with expired work permits.
However, according to The Jordan Times, the ministry said some of the allegations found in the NLC report were unfounded.
For example, it claimed that in the Indian factory, Al Safa, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi female worker hanged herself in the toilet because the factory manager raped her. "The forensic report said she was not raped," the ministry’s report said, adding that in many of the factories in question, child labor, seven-day working weeks and physical abuse allegations were not verified.
I think this is a step in the right direction. The ministry has indeed confirmed the existence of such violations, which will hopefully prompt an improvement in the status of workers soon.
by Natasha Tynes | May 19, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, Media watch
Several days ago, I got the chance to watch Her Majesty Queen Rania on Oprah and I have to say, that besides looking absolutely stunning, the Queen was dignified, very eloquent and managed to present Jordan to an American audience in the best way possible.
I truly enjoyed watching the scenes from Amman being played on US national TV from my apartment in the suburbs of DC. I also loved seeing a number of Jordanian women talk about their daily existence as Jordanian mothers. For me, the show provided a wonderful image of home, serving as a reminder for me personally of how much I love Jordan and how much I’m attached to it.
The queen managed to present a wonderful portrait of the kingdom and its people as tolerant, educated and very hospitable. The audience was very animated and reacted well to what the queen was saying and to the footage played during the show. More shows similar to this are needed to deconstruct stereotypes and to build bridges of mutual understanding, tolerance and respect. Here is a link to Oprah’s info on the show. And here is a link to what Jordanian blogger Qwaider had to say about it.
by Natasha Tynes | May 16, 2006 | Media watch, Political mayhem
The United Nations News agency IRIN ran a story today about the ongoing Hamas vs. Jordan issue. The thing that bugged me about the article was its choice of headline: Observers skeptical about Hamas plot in kingdom. The reason I’m peeved about this is not my subjective take on the issue but the fact that the writer/editor of this article chose the word "observers" for the headline when the article only quotes members of the Muslim brotherhood.
My humble experience as a journalist/writer taught me that "observer" is a label used for renowned writers, academics and scholars — pundits. I do not really buy the labeling of members of an opposition group as "observers." Another thing worth highlighting is the article’s quote from IAF member Zaki Abu Rsheid saying:
Neither I, nor anybody else in the kingdom, believe the government’s story that Hamas planned attacks against targets in the kingdom, despite a televised confession by two men arrested in connection with the case, said Abu Rsheid.
Dear Mr. Abu Rsheid, please do not speak for all Jordanians … or at least do not speak for me. Okay, enough about Hamas for now. I hope I don’t have to discuss this topic again, as whenever I do the discussions on this blog get heated, bordering at times on the offensive. If you choose to leave a comment on this very subjective blog, please keep it civil. Thank you.
Okay, 
