Agriculture Ministry Day-Laborers Crisis Revives in Karak
05-12-2011 12:00 AM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Around 260 day-laborers working for the Ministry of Agriculture will go on open strike Tuesday, in the southern city of Karak in protest of unfair work conditions.
They will stage their sit-in in front of agriculture department in the city, demanding their work rights, appointed as employees not day-laborers, and increasing their wages and benefits, the workers spokesperson Mohammad Btoosh told Ammon News .
The workers will protest for three days and threatened to set up protest tents in the square in front of the Prime Ministry in Amman if their demands are not met, he added.
Btoosh accused the previous governments of 'lagging' despite repeated promises, and hoped that the new government would resolve their problem through endorsing a law to protect them and give them their rights and job security.
The Agriculture Ministry day-laborers' crisis with the government resurfaced this week after it stirred major controversy last year during PM Samir Rifai's government, this week with 260 Karak day-laborers protesting, some of whom hold university degrees but getting wages that reach a maximum of JD 170.
"All the laborers want is job security, earning an income that ensures them and their families a dignified living," Btoosh added.