AMMAN — The Association of Employers and Employers of Non-Jordanians on Wednesday protested against a hike in health test prices and long labour permit delays for foreign domestic workers in front of the Ministry of Labour.

 

In a statement published on their official Facebook page, the association called on all member agencies to halt their procedures until their demands are met, with the exception of “highly urgent ones”.

 

They added: “The only application that agencies will process are contracts that might expire during the duration of the protest, which  is still undetermined. We [the association] do not want to harm citizens because of a dispute with the government.”

 

The two main reasons for the their protest, according to the association’s president Ahmed Faouri, is the time and cost of assigning domestic workers to their prospective employers.

 

He said that since Ramadan, procedures have been “unduly delayed and hindered by bureaucratic procedures at the Ministry of Labour”.

 

“The completion of the required tests and paperwork usually takes three days once the maid is here. Ever since the process has been computerised, however, it started taking two weeks or more,” Faouri told The Jordan Times over the phone.

 

He also mentioned that the health tests now cost JD85 instead of JD35, thus making the agencies increase their prices.

 

“The process of bringing a foreign worker in is already very expensive for both the agencies and the citizens. There is zero help from the government, so the least they can do is not raise prices,” added the association’s president.

 

Hatem Azraai, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said that “new tests have been added for additional safety, thus the rise in cost.”

 

Ministry of Labour Spokesperson Mohammed Khatib said that the ministry will convene with the agencies to negotiate their demands.

 

“The ministry is doing its best to process the applications as fast as possible, but with an increase in the number of crimes committed by maids, we must also thoroughly examine each application, which takes a longer time than the agencies are used to.”