Ammon News - By Hani Hazaimeh/ Jordan Times

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry has repatriated more than 941 guest workers who were found in violation of labour laws since the beginning of this month, according to a ministry official.

“Over the past few weeks, our labour inspectors have been intensifying their campaign targeting illegal foreign workers,” Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamadah Abu Nejmeh said on Tuesday.

“A total of 800 institutions have been put on the black list for violating the ministry’s regulations,” Abu Nejmeh noted, adding that the blacklisted institutions will not be allowed to recruit foreign workers.

He said the ministry has also sealed 122 enterprises and warned 2,500 for employing guest workers without the proper permits in accordance with the Labour Law, adding that over the past two months, more than 5,000 workers were found in violation of labour regulations, 800 of whom have rectified their status.

“Those who are yet to abide by the regulations were given a two-week grace period to rectify their work status. Two weeks from the date they were found by labour inspectors, the violators will be sent back to their countries in coordination with their respective embassies and will not be allowed to return to Jordan for the next three years,” Abu Nejmeh said.

According to the ministry’s figures, around 800,000 foreigners of different nationalities are working in the Kingdom, mostly Egyptians, of whom nearly 175,000 are violating the Labour Law and relevant regulations.

Abu Nejmeh underlined that around 400 illegal guest workers are caught daily by labour inspectors, adding that 40 per cent of them were issued agricultural work permits but were found working in other sectors.

The secretary general noted that the ministry has repatriated 98 domestic helpers since the campaign started late last year, 60 of whom were Filipinos.

He also said that the ministry has stopped issuing work permits for all sectors except for domestic helpers.