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Article

2 Sep 2016

Author:
IndustriAll

Towards a living wage in Iraq and Jordan

Meeting in Amman, affiliates from Jordan and Iraq came together on 29-30 August to discuss how unions can best confront the problem of low wages in their industries.

The challenge to increase wages is one that cuts across industries in Jordan and Iraq. In Jordan, prices have increased considerably but wages have not kept pace. A tripartite wages committee sets the minimum wage at national level, but the King takes the final decision.

While the lowest wages are those earned by textile and garment workers and workers in industries such as potash, phosphate and cement earn more, the absence of an adequate plan by the government to deal with the economic situation means that unions need to engage with government on a more sustainable industrial policy in order for wages to increase.

In Iraq, the minimum wage is set by the government. There is no collective bargaining in the public sector, which covers more than 75 per cent of workers. The private sector minimum wage is US$200 per month and is set by a tripartite committee. Enforcement is a major problem and there are many demonstrations over unpaid wages.