AMMAN, 29 September 2006 — Jordan said yesterday it was “surprised” by the filing of a lawsuit against the government by two US labor organizations over alleged abuse of foreign manpower in the Kingdom. “We are surprised over the action taken by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the US National Textile Association (NTA) over alleged violations of expatriate workers’ rights in Jordan,” Minister of Labor Bassem Salem said.

He pointed out that both bodies were aware of measures taken by Jordan to handle the allegations that formed the basis of this case, which were first revealed in a National Labor Commission report in May.

The AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the United States, and the NTA on Sept. 21 filed the first ever workers’ rights case under the US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement .

They called on the US administration to initiate dispute settlement proceedings under the FTA that would halt alleged workers’ rights violations in Jordan. The complaint charged that the Jordanian government had failed to meet its obligations under the US-Jordan FTA’s labor chapter, both because its labor laws fell short of international standards and because the government had failed to effectively enforce its laws. These factors together, the complaint states, “contribute to scandalous abuses of workers’ rights”, especially in the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ).

The Jordanian Labor Ministry said it had developed an “action plan that further addresses all issues pertaining to guest workers, including labor law enforcement issues.” “In addition, the ministry has collaborated with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to identify the necessary short-term and long-term measures for combating worker exploitation,” it added.

Following the May report, Jordan took a series of steps to crack down on abuse in the Qualified Industrial Zones that export garments to the United States exempted from tariffs. “Regrettably the AFL-CIO and the NTA decided to file their case just days after labor conditions in Jordan were vigorously scrutinized and further remedial steps were agreed upon,” a government statement said.