The Stone Movers: Arched backs under the sun
(This article first appeared on 7iber.com in Arabic on 19 April 2016)

Imagine you came across the following advertisement for employment: HELP WANTED: Worker capable of lifting and carrying on a daily basis 50 stones weighing at least 250 kilograms each to a truck elevated three meters off the ground. Must be willing to work ten hours per day in the desert. Employer is not required to register employee for health insurance or social security, nor will employer offer any compensation or cover medical expenses in case of injury or death on the job site. Salary dependent on effort but will not exceed 350 dinars per month. This is a real job practiced by real people, some of whom are nearly 50 years old, in a work environment rife with abuse... In 2014, there were 628 migrant workers employed in the quarry and mining sector in Jordan, according to official Ministry of Labor reports. Of those, 512 were Egyptian while the rest were either, Sri Lankan, Filipino, Indian, or Turkish. Most non-Egyptian mining workers are employed either as heavy equipment operators or as managers. According to the workers that spoke with 7iber, three people have died at the Ma’an quarries since 2012, either as a direct result of a work-related incident or as a result of the generally difficult work conditions. Plant owners have not provided the families of those who died with any compensation nor do they follow up with those who are injured on the job.