The joint cooperation between Egypt and Jordan in the field of labor management aims at creating a safe, fair and stable work environment for Egyptian workers in Jordan and their employers. The Egyptian Ministry of Manpower and Immigration and the Jordanian Ministry of Labour are the main stakeholders. They are jointly responsible for the implementation of the 2007 Memorandum of Understating (MoU) and the 2016 Labor Agreement and managing the jointly-established channels of communication, as well as consultation mechanism.
Main aim:
The creation of a joint functioning system for managing the Egyptian labor force in Jordan, as well as an associated labor-matching mechanism.
Success factors:
The 2007 MoU and, more importantly, the 2016 agreement created a uniform legal and administrative framework to deal with the Egyptian labor force in Jordan. The new system is mutually beneficial due to the following:
- It provides Egyptian workers with the necessary means to safeguard their well-being, ensures stable and secure job opportunities. In this respect, Egyptian workers are required to join their employer upon entry to Jordan It forbids transferring the workers to another employer during the timeframe of their work contract.
- The minimum wage of the Egyptian worker should not be less than the minimum wage stipulated by the Jordanian law.
- Creating a uniform set of administrative rules to guide the process family re-unification for Egyptian workers (at least one year after the date of entry to Jordan).
- Giving Egyptian workers (except in the field of agriculture) the right to travel abroad/take holidays ( with the consent of the employer) without the need to obtain the permission of the Jordanian Ministry of Labor.
- The establishment of a verifiable database for employment contracts and their beneficiaries to avoid fraud and/or cases of misconduct and abuse.
- The creation of computerized database for job opportunities and the pool of Egyptian candidates to ensure a more streamlined and efficient process of labor-matching.
- More importantly, the creation of a regular consultation mechanism (on bi-annual bases) and communication channel (through the Egyptian labor attaché in Amman) among the relevant stakeholders.
Constraints and challenges:
- The creation of a workable and applicable framework for cooperation in the field of managing the Egyptian labor force in Jordan.
- The establishment of effective and sustainable channels of communication between relevant stakeholders in Egypt and Jordan.
- Finding a permanent system of consultation and problem solving.
Dates:
2007 and 2016 - ongoing